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LOS ANGELES, July 11 /PRNewswire/ — The Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) announced today that the six major studios will include anti-smoking public service announcements produced by the California health and Human Services Agency on millions of youth-rated DVDs of motion pictures that include scenes with tobacco use.
Through this campaign, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox, Universal Pictures, Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros. will place California’s anti-smoking public service announcements in the opening minutes of DVDs of all new movies with tobacco use that are rated G, PG and PG-13.
“This is a strong and responsible step on the part of the entertainment industry that will go a long way toward countering the influence of tobacco use in films,” said Kim Belshe, California health and Human Services Secretary. “With this agreement, we will be able to promote the benefits of living tobacco-free to millions of viewers at no cost to taxpayers, while encouraging important conversations between parents and their children about the dangers of smoking.”
EIF, which has focused for several years on combating the negative effects of “glamorized” smoking in films, brought the State of California and the Hollywood studios together and handled the production details to make this first-of-its-kind initiative a reality.
“The State of California is a great partner, having produced some of the most successful anti-smoking public service announcements. California’s Tobacco Control Program PSAs have helped the state achieve some of the lowest adult and teen smoking rates in the country,” said EIF President and CEO Lisa Paulsen. “We’re proud to have played a role in bringing the state and all the studios together.”
The public service announcements will appear before the films on each DVD and can currently be seen online at .
At the end of each 30-second PSA, viewers are directed to , for information on the dangers of smoking and for help in quitting and helping others quit. Resources are available in all 50 states. The PSAs were developed by the state’s Tobacco Control Program, which is operated by the California Department of Public Health, one of 12 departments in the California health and Human Services Agency.
Through its initiative called Hollywood Unfiltered, EIF is committed to working from within the entertainment industry to reduce tobacco’s negative consequences by educating members about the impact smoking has on young people and the steps they can take to make a difference. This commitment from the studios is another step in EIF’s work to reduce the impact of smoking on young people. Partners in this effort include the Motion Picture Association of America, Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, Directors Guild of America, International Alliance for Theatrical Stage Employees, Screen Actors Guild and Writers Guild of America.
“The Motion Picture Association of America and all six of its member companies, including Disney, Fox, Paramount, Sony, Universal, and Warner Bros. have demonstrated their collective commitment to working in partnership with organizations like the Entertainment Industry Foundation to educate our own industry about the negative effects of smoking,” said MPAA Chairman and CEO Dan Glickman. “The decisions by all six major movie studios to put anti-smoking PSAs on their DVDs, coupled with the MPAA’s recent decision to incorporate smoking into the rating system, demonstrate that the industry is committed to informing parents about smoking depictions in films so they can make informed decisions for their children.”
Additionally, EIF and the Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF), with support from the Motion Picture Industry Pension & health Plan, operate the first ever industry-led smoking cessation program. Called Picture Quitting, this program combines free counseling with low-cost medication for people in the entertainment industry who want to quit smoking. The success rate of this custom-tailored quit smoking program is twice that of the national average (American Journal of health Behavior).
California’s Tobacco Control Program, operated by the Department of Public health within the health and Human Services Agency, is one of the nation’s longest running and most emulated anti-tobacco programs, and is credited with helping reduce smoking in California by more than 33 percent since its inception in 1989. The statewide media campaign challenges existing social norms related to tobacco use and provides cessation resources for people who want to quit.
More information about the program can be found at .
The Entertainment Industry Foundation
The Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), as a philanthropic leader of the entertainment industry, has distributed hundreds of millions of dollars — and provided countless volunteer hours — to support charitable initiatives addressing critical health, education and social issues. Visit and hollywoodunfiltered.org.
The Entertainment Industry Foundation

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CHICAGO, and CULVER CITY, Calif., June 13 /PRNewswire/ — Dr. Mehmet C. Oz, MD, better known to millions as Dr. Oz, the renowned and popular surgeon, educator, and best-selling author who appears regularly on The Oprah Winfrey Show, will debut in first-run syndication next year with a series co-produced by Harpo Productions and Sony Pictures Television (SPT) and distributed by SPT, it was jointly announced today by Oprah Winfrey; Tim Bennett, president, Harpo Productions; and Steve Mosko, president, Sony Pictures Television.
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The series, DR. OZ (working title), will be available to stations across the country to launch in Fall 2009. Under the multi-year agreement, SPT will handle all distribution efforts for the show in the United States and Canada, advertiser sales and marketing, and co-produce the series with Harpo Productions.
Dr. Oz has earned a reputation as “America’s Doctor” through regular appearances over the past three years as the health expert for The Oprah Winfrey Show and is the nation’s preeminent and trusted expert on health and wellness. He is professor and vice-chairman of surgery at Columbia University as well as medical director of the Integrated Medicine Center and director of the Heart Institute at New York Presbyterian/Columbia Medical Center. As the co-author of the best-selling YOU series, Dr. Oz is also a publishing phenomenon. In addition to numerous appearances on network morning and evening news programs, Dr. Oz is the host of the “The Dr. Oz Show” on XM Satellite Radio’s Oprah & Friends channel, giving viewers crucial information on health issues and sparking in-depth conversations about the essentials to living longer, more vibrant lives. He was recently named one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World by TIME magazine.
Said Oprah Winfrey, “This is a show I believe in. Judging by the response from our viewers, Dr. Oz has already demonstrated he is a valued and trusted medical expert who has created a deep connection with our audience.”
“We are looking forward to partnering with Sony Pictures Television on this project,” said Tim Bennett, President, Harpo Productions. “Of all the first-rate potential partners we spoke with, we felt that Sony was the best-positioned to co-produce and distribute the DR. OZ show.”
“We are thrilled to be working with Oprah, Dr. Oz and everyone at Harpo on this amazing project,” said Steve Mosko, president, Sony Pictures Television. “It’s a perfect marriage of independent, entrepreneurial companies and a wonderful opportunity for us to work with such tremendously talented people.”
“Medicine has always been my calling. This show allows me to share the same passion I bring to my patients with millions of viewers every day. We will empower the audience to live more fully as they take control of their health … and their bodies. I am deeply appreciative to Oprah and to our great partner Sony for this opportunity,” said Dr. Oz.
Harpo Productions, Inc. produces the number-one-rated, award-winning The Oprah Winfrey Show; creates and develops original TV programming for primetime, syndication and cable television; and operates Oprah.com (), a premier lifestyle website. Harpo Print, LLC and Hearst Magazines publish the monthly O, The Oprah Magazine and quarterly O at Home publications. Harpo Films, Inc. produces feature films as well as top-rated telefilms under the “Oprah Winfrey Presents” banner. Harpo Radio, Inc. produces Oprah & Friends (Channel 156) on XM Satellite Radio. Harpo, Inc. has also recently partnered with Discovery Communications to launch a new cable network, The Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) in 2009.
Sony Pictures Television is one of the television industry’s leading content providers. It produces and distributes programming in every genre, including series, telefilms, theatrical releases and family entertainment for network and cable television, as well as first-run and off-network series for syndication. With more than 25 programs on the air, SPT boasts a program slate that includes the top-rated daytime dramas and game shows, landmark off- network series, original animated series and critically acclaimed primetime dramas, comedies and telefilms. SPT also owns one-half of cable channel GSN and is a partner in FEARnet, the premier horror/thriller website and VOD service. Sony Pictures Television oversees all of Sony Pictures Entertainment’s (SPE) domestic digital distribution efforts across all electronically delivered platforms, including the internet and mobile. Sony Pictures Television, advertiser sales, is one of the premiere national advertising sales companies, handling the commercial inventory in SPT syndicated series as well as in all of SPE’s digital businesses in the United States, for Sony BMG and for iN DEMAND’s high-definition channel Mojo and the Tennis Channel, and is part owner of national media sales company ITN Networks, Inc. SPT () is a Sony Pictures Entertainment company.

Sony Pictures Television

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