Former head of production also to oversee transition of SPA’s newly-appointed president, Kristine Belson.
Michelle Raimo Kouyate has stepped down from her role as president of production at Sony Pictures Animation, according to a report by The Hollywood Reporter, transitioning to a first-look producing deal with the studio that encompasses both animation and live-action features.
The former animation division head’s first project will be Medusa, the animated comedy being developed by My Little Pony director Lauren Faust, for which Kouyate will serve as producer.
“I’ve been thinking about it for a while and when I was working on Medusa, it started to bring up the feelings of really being back in the game,” Raimo Kouyate reportedly said about the move. “And there comes a time on an animated project when you just need to get a producer on it, when it hits a stage where it’s story boarding and moving to the next level. So I thought if there was ever a time to do it, now was it.”
Kouyate will also oversee the transition of Kristine Belson, who was named President of Sony Pictures Animation earlier on Tuesday.
Kouyate’s tenure included the release of Hotel Transylvania, The Smurfs 2 and Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2. She joined the division in 2010 after holding posts at DreamWorks Animation, where she served as an executive producer on Puss in Boots, Miramax Films and Paramount Pictures.
Formerly Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network, Jennifer Wolfe has worked in the Media & Entertainment industry as a writer and PR professional since 2003.
