Nikki Rocco

President, Distribution, Universal Pictures

Nikki Rocco is president of Universal Pictures Distribution. Rocco, who was appointed to this post in February 1996, has overseen the distribution campaigns for many of the studio's most successful films: "Meet the Fockers," "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas," "Bruce Almighty," "The Lost World: Jurassic Park," "King Kong" and "The Mummy Returns."

She began her career at Universal in New York in 1967. Since then she has held a series of sales leadership roles at the studio including vice president of distribution, senior vice president of distribution and marketing and executive vice president of distribution. In her current position, she is responsible for all sales and distribution operations, as well as print manufacturing and shipping and exhibitor relations.

Respected industry wide for making innovative release date decisions, Rocco has a track record of maximizing the potential for Universal releases by bucking the conventional wisdom. Memorial Day weekend 1999, for example, she positioned Julia Roberts' "Notting Hill" against George Lucas' much anticipated "Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace." This counter-programming move delivered the highest opening weekend gross ever for a film starring the Academy Award winning actress – and a domestic box office of over $116 million.

In 2000, Rocco received Women In Film's Crystal Award, which recognizes leading women in the motion picture industry. She was the 2002 recipient of Variety – The Children's Charity's Lifetime Achievement Award. She has been profiled in The Hollywood Reporter Women in Entertainment Power 100 list for the past 10 years.

Rocco is a vice president and trustee of the Will Rogers Fund/Motion Picture Pioneers and a longtime supporter of the Motion Picture and Television Fund Home.