From Feb 6th - 11th, I took a business trip to Los Angeles. In addition to meetings with investors and the management teams at Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) and Sony/ATV, during the weekend I had the opportunity to attend my first Academy Awards ceremony (February 9th).

With Jon Platt from Sony/ATV

■ LA - The City of Creative Entertainment

As my travel dates included a weekend, I also had some time to explore the sights of LA, including a special preview of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, which is set to open this December. Once again, these experiences reaffirmed to me LA's standing as a City of Creative Entertainment, not just in terms of movies, but music and gaming as well. Indeed, Apple and Amazon are now establishing new campuses for their video streaming businesses in Culver City, where SPE is based.

On the rooftop of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
with museum director Bill Kramer

In front of the "Dreamscape" VR theater

■ SPE and SIE One Sony collaboration

Among the many insights I gained during this business trip, I was particularly encouraged by the progress of One Sony collaboration between SPE and Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) in areas such as IP and Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) initiatives.

In terms of content IP, not only is SPE leveraging SIE content, for instance in the film adaption of "UNCHARTED" that is scheduled for release next year, but there are also plans for games to be based on SPE IP as well. This photo shows me with Asad Qizilbash, who heads PlayStation Productions, that is leading SIE's efforts to produce film and television adaptations of SIE IPs. We are holding a booklet that introduces SIE's IPs.

Holding the SIE IP booklet with Asad

I am also expecting great things in the area of DTC based on the collaboration between PlayStation™Network (PSN) and SPE's Funimation DTC anime streaming service, given the many commonalities that exist between the gaming and anime fan communities.

■ The Oscars

On Sunday, I attended the Academy Awards ceremony, also known as the Oscars. SPE was nominated in a total of 20 categories, and received four awards, including Best Supporting Actor for Brad Pitt in "Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood." Our total equaled that of Disney, which recently acquired 21st Century Fox, and that of CJ Entertainment, which produced the film "Parasite" that swept the top awards including Best Picture.

With Tony Vinciquerra of SPE and his wife Toni

Together with Brad Pitt and producer Shannon McIntosh after his Oscar win

■ Thank you, Mike!

In other SPE news, this week the studio announced Mike Hopkins will be stepping down as Chairman of Sony Pictures Television (SPT) at the end of this month to embark on a new challenge. I am very grateful for the success Mike has brought us under his leadership during his time at Sony, and wish him the best in his career moving forward.

With Mike Hopkins (Right-hand edge) in Mumbai

■ As part of a Creative Entertainment Company

From our strong showing at the Golden Globes and Academy Awards, to the string of recent hit titles that has continued into this year with the release "Bad Boys for Life," SPE's creative output is receiving widespread recognition. I look forward to the whole of SPE, including motion pictures, television production and media networks, continuing to go from strength to strength, drawing on the power of One Sony and becoming an even more integral part of our evolution as a creative entertainment company.

■ Response to the coronavirus outbreak

While I touched on this subject at the Quarterly Meeting, I would like to once again mention our response to the novel coronavirus. While of course prioritizing the safety of you and your families above all else, we must also do all we can to mitigate disruption to our supply chain. We have established a crisis management team, and I request that you support its efforts, including the sharing of any important information. Thank you for your cooperation.