DreamWorks Animation appoints Randy Lake

DreamWorks Animation has appointed Randy Lake as the studio’s new chief operating officer. Lake will take over responsibilities for the studio’s strategic planning and primary business operations, including feature and television production, post-production, business and legal affairs, finance, and technology.

The appointment was made by Margie Cohn, president, DreamWorks Animation, who took over the studio reigns this past January at the same time the studio announced that DreamWorks Feature Animation Group president Chris DeFaria would be leaving the company.

Lake’s appointment comes right on the heels of two newly created senior executive position announcements this past February 28, when Kristin Lowe was named chief creative officer, Features, and Peter Gal was named chief creative officer, television. Cohn reportedly aligned the marketing, public relations, business and legal affairs, and human resources and recruiting functions for both features and television respectively under Michael Vollman, EVP, marketing; Courtenay Palaski, SVP/head of communications; Josh Meyer, head of business affairs; and Ashley Brinsfield, head of human resources and recruiting.

Lake most recently served as president of studio operations and Imageworks at Sony Pictures Entertainment, where he oversaw all operations, strategy, and planning for Sony Pictures Imageworks, post-production services, production services, global mastering and servicing, and asset management.