Kathie Hoops, who spent nearly four decades as a financial executive at Paramount Pictures, 30 of them as vice president of residuals, has died. She was 66.

Hoops died July 31 in Woodland Hills after a battle with cancer, her friend and former work colleague Jill Glosser announced.

Hoops was responsible for managing the Paramount department that handles the setup, data security, calculations and distribution of residual payments for all the films produced by or acquired by the studio.

She also played a pivotal role in analysis and advice pertaining to residual formulas during collective bargaining negotiations and for financial planning by Paramount and was directly involved in creating and implementing a new software system for the payment of residuals.

She was regarded as an industry expert in her field and enjoyed being a mentor.

Born in October 1959, Katheen Sullivan spent two years at Ithaca College in New York and two more at Rider University in New Jersey, graduating in 1982 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting.

She began her career at Paramount parent Gulf + Western in New York in March 1984, then was transferred in May 1986 to work for the studio in Los Angeles. She was promoted to vice president of residuals in February 1994 and remained in that position until she left the company in April 2024 amid a companywide downsizing.

Survivors include her husband, Richard; her children, Allison and Casey; and her sisters and brothers. A celebration of life is being planned.

Subscribe Sign Up