Ted Shugrue waving and surrounded by his colleagues (Steve Klain, Duncan Clark, and Tony Manne to his right)

Body language says he was happy...

Ted Shugrue, the former head of Sony Pictures' overseas distribution division and president of Loews Cineplex International, died last Thursday fom liver cancer at the age of 62.

In 1983, Shugrue became one of the first employees of the newly formed TriStar Pictures, where he was instrumental in building the distribution arm for TriStar (later Columbia TriStar). He served from 1987 to 1996 as founding president of Columbia TriStar Film Distributors International, then headed international distribution at Sony Pictures Entertainment as executive vp.
This is the period I met him when I joined the french distribution company as Marketing Director. I had an immense respect and appreciation for Ted's vision and management, he was a great inspiration in a company which he shaped to become the best in its time, with wonderful colleagues which all felt like a family.

I owe him a lot, he gave me his trust and let me thrive and develop in that job.

At Loews Cineplex International, he led the company’s expansion overseas, creating modern multiplexes in Spain, Korea and Italy. He joined the exhibitor in 1998.

Since 2004, Shugrue had served as president and CEO of Envoy Media Partners, a developer and owner-operator of multiplexes in underserved overseas markets like Vietnam. He was living in Rye, N.Y.

I worked with him on a few films in the recent years and brainstormed with Ted about his festival project in Vietnam.