Spartan Profiles: Dana Precious

SIZZLE DOES MATTER

            For box office success, buzz is often as important as the film itself. Few are better at creating buzz than Dana Precious, ’85, executive vice president of marketing for Sony Pictures Entertainment. Precious ran the advertising campaigns for more than 30 movie hits, including Charlie’s Angels, which opened with a spectacular weekend box office of $40.5 million, The Wedding Planner, Men in Black, Stuart Little, The Patriot and Godzilla (it was Dana who created the slogan “Size Does Matter,” now a part of the popular lexicon).

            Often she teams up with other Spartans in Hollywood, including director Sam Raimi, whose upcoming film Spiderman is earmarked as next summer’s “tent-pole” movie. In Hollywood jargon, that means a movie that holds up the industry. “That’s my specialty, big branded franchise films that will have more than one life,” says Dana, whose tentative slogan for Spiderman is “Go For the Ultimate Spin!”—yet another clever word play. 

            “This job is about creativity, but mostly it’s about psychology,” she says. “It’s about handling people. It’s a 24/7 job and a tightrope act, but I love it.” And who wouldn’t like to work with the likes of Mel Gibson, Julia Roberts, Cameron Diaz, Lucy Liu and just about every big name star in Hollywood. 

            A native of Muskegon, Dana chose MSU after seeing Magic Johnson lead the team to the NCAA title and visiting the campus. “I was very active with the Student Alumni Foundation,” she recalls. “I loved football weekends. I wasn’t the best student, but MSU was a place that allowed me to grow up, mature, and make my own decisions.”

            Although she was never a movie buff, she strongly touts the industry. “I have to say there are great opportunities for women here,” she notes. “There’s no glass ceiling—at least I’ve never run into one.” But, to her phraseology . . . sizzle does matter.