Michael Barker Named New Co-Chair of Museum of the Moving Image

Michael Barker, Co-President and Co-Founder of Sony Pictures Classics, will become Co-Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Museum of the Moving Image. Herbert S. Schlosser, who was Chairman from 1985 to 2013, and Co-Chairman from 2013 to present, will retire after 30 years of service, it was announced today by Mr. Schlosser and Ivan L. Lustig, Co-Chairman. Michael Barker, one of the most respected and honored leaders in the film industry, will officially begin his new position on February 1, 2015. His election took place at a Board of Trustees meeting in late October. Mr. Schlosser had informed the board one year ago that he intended to retire, and a search was started to find a successor.

"Throughout his illustrious career, Michael Barker (with Tom Bernard) has brought to American audiences countless great films by established and emerging directors, and his films have earned more than 140 Academy Award nominations," said Mr. Schlosser. "He is the best in the business, and is passionate about film and about the Museum's mission, which focuses on all forms of the moving image, including television and digital media. He will be a great leader during this exciting period when the Museum is truly thriving and the moving image is undergoing a state of great change."

"We are very pleased and happy to welcome Michael Barker as our new Co-Chairman," said Mr. Lustig. "We are also very appreciative Herbert S. Schlosser will remain on the Board as Chairman Emeritus. Herb was the President and CEO of NBC. He joined NBC in 1957, and played an important role in the changes that have taken place in the industry. Among other accomplishments, he put Saturday Night Live on the air. He became Chairman of the Museum in 1985, was there when it opened to the public in 1988, and was a chief proponent of the Museum's transformative 2011 expansion. Under his leadership, the Museum has become a successful, internationally recognized institution encompassing film, television, and digital media."

"Museum of the Moving Image is a great institution devoted to motion pictures of all shapes and sizes. Filled on any given day with hundreds of school kids, teachers, tourists, New Yorkers, from the general public to the die-hard cinephile, there is an incredible energy to the place. Its programs and exhibitions are exemplary, and this is an institution that serves the public and community first. Filmmakers, artists, and industry practitioners adore it as much as I do. I am honored to have been chosen as Co-Chairman to succeed Herbert Schlosser, who has been a tireless champion on behalf of the Museum from its very start, and to work with Ivan Lustig," said Mr. Barker.

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