Jinks and Cohen
move shingle to Paramount

The Paramount lot is beginning to look a bit like DreamWorks. Oscar-winning gay producers Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen, who have been based at DreamWorks for the past six years, have moved their first-look deal to Paramount Pictures' Melrose Avenue offices in Hollywood. The move, which coincides with the pair's DreamWorks contract expiring last week, marks the first production company migration since Paramount parent company Viacom bought DreamWorks last month for $1.6 billion.

"Paramount is a very exciting place to be right now, and Gail Berman, Alli Shearmur, and Brad Weston all have terrific taste," Jinks and Cohen said in a joint statement. "We look forward to making great movies with them." Joining Jinks and Cohen will be director of development Sam Hansen and creative executive Bree Tichy. An additional senior executive is expected to be announced soon.

Paramount president Berman, who began wooing Jinks and Cohen in May, predicted that the pair will "mesh perfectly with our filmmaking philosophy here on the lot." The Jinks/Cohen Co., formed eight years ago, produced the Academy Award-winning American Beauty. Their other films include Down With Love, Big Fish, and The Forgotten. (Tatiana Siegel, Reuters)