Chris Pula obit

Chris Pula, Movie Marketing Maven Turned Philanthropist, Has Died At 69

 

He was not on the list.

Chris Pula, the gregarious movie marketing executive who served stints at New Line, Warner Bros, Fox and Disney and created groundbreaking campaigns for movies from Se7en to The Mask, Dumb and Dumber and many others, has died according to numerous sources. We are awaiting formal word about planned memorials for Pula, but didn’t want to let his death go unnoticed in the holiday lull. So those who want to contribute his career highlights, let’s please hear from you. As much of a mark as he made in marketing as the internet was becoming a “thing,” Pula is also remembered for leaving the business to become a philanthropist and a regular volunteer at Soup Kitchen in Provincetown, Massachusetts.

We are hearing the cause of Pula’s death is liver disease and that he passed away on Monday at age 69. Services will be held for him Saturday in Provincetown, and there will be a memorial in Hollywood organized by the New Line gang on which he was such a mentoring influence. Pula leaves behind longtime partner Thom Biggert.

Pula was a very opinionated executive — his brawls with Ain’t It Cool News proprietor Harry Knowles and his penchant for publishing reactions from test screenings were legend, as was his clashing with seasoned studio colleagues slow to embrace new formulas to squeeze opening weekends outside of traditional P&A spends — but he was a disruptor who was in the right place at the right time when Bob Shaye owned and Michael De Luca ran production at New Line. He helped launch the careers of Jim Carrey and Cameron Diaz, and he brought in Gordon Paddison to start the first digital marketing department at a studio and was open to every idea. He is also remembered for being brought to work for Fox by Barry Diller and spearheading the innovative launch of the juggernaut series Beverly Hills, 90210.

His former colleagues also remember him as a great teammate and a generous spirit whose care for the welfare of others made them not surprised when he left Hollywood and devoted the latter part of his life to the needy. At New Line, one co-worker recalled, he would encourage colleagues on road trips to bring back whatever hotel accessories they could find, from shampoo to soap, and he would distribute them to organizations dedicated to helping the homeless.

Pula began his career in broadcasting at CNN in Atlanta as a member of the cable network’s start-up team. He also spent five years as an account supervisor and creative supervisor for Grey Entertainment & Media in New York.

Below is a message posted by the Soup Kitchen in memory of Pula’s philanthropic pursuits:

We are saddened to learn that Soup Kitchen in Provincetown (SKIP) has lost one of its longest-serving volunteers, Chris Pula. He recently told me he’d been involved with SKIP for some 20 years. Chris almost never missed a week and often volunteered several days a week. His long days there started with setting up the dining room and ended with bussing tables. He made announcements that could always be counted on for a laugh or two. But Chris was much more than a comedian. He had a very successful career before moving to Provincetown. He was involved at CNN and went on to Hollywood, where he marketed some of the recent decades’ biggest movies. Chris was also known for his boundless generosity toward both SKIP volunteers and guests. And the door to his home was always open—often literally: Many will recall seeing the puppet poised in the open top of the Dutch door of the home he shared with longtime partner Thom Biggert. SKIP extends its heartfelt condolences to Thom, who is also a hard-working SKIP volunteer. Chris will be missed by everyone at SKIP and by so many others in the Provincetown community whose lives he touched.