Directory Profile

Sandra Rabins is one of the most respected Live Action and Animation executives in the industry. She is known for her ability to assemble top artistic talent, problem solve and streamline productions.

Born and raised in Hollywood, Rabins began her career at Paramount Pictures as a production accountant working on such films as Flashdance, Terms of Endearment, and Witness..   She served as Executive Producer on the summer hit Dangerous Minds, starring Michelle Pfeiffer.

Always attracted to new challenges, Rabins helped build the animation division of DreamWorks Studios from scratch, and was instrumental in the purchase of PDI, helping to build it into a digital effects theatrical giant. Rabins produced DreamWorks’ first traditionally animated feature, The Prince of Egypt and followed that up with the computer animated Antz, which marked the first 3d feature from PDI/DreamWorks. In 2001, Rabins served as an executive producer on the computer animated blockbuster box office hit comedy, Shrek, which won the People’s Choice Award for best comedy feature, and the first Academy Award for best animated film. In addition to her producing responsibilities, she was responsible for the preparation of the studio’s business plan (television, animation, theatrical, distribution, marketing, and music).

From 2002-2009 she served as Senior Executive Vice President of Sony Pictures Animation, where she worked on the hit comedy Open Season, the critically acclaimed Surf’s Up, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and Hotel Transylvania. Sandra Rabins and her producing partner, Penney Finkelman Cox, co-own the independent live-action production entity, Patchwork Productions, which executive produced the 2007 feature film Snakes on a Plane. In 2010 she was asked to join DreamWorks Animation Television as a senior executive producer overseeing Dragons: Riders of Berk, a new television series based on the worldwide hit film How to Train Your Dragon. It began airing on Cartoon Network in 2012, and in February 2013 it won four Annie Awards, including Best Animated TV Production for Children. In 2016 she produced with Kathryn Bigelow the award winning short “Last Days of Ivory.” 

From 2013 to 2018 Rabins served as co-President of Original Force Animation developing and producing animated films.  She served as producer with Penney Finkelman Cox on the 2018 release of the animated motion picture entitled “Duck Duck Goose” for Netflix. 

In 2018 Sandra Rabins joined Paramount Pictures Animation as Senior Executive Vice President of Production, and served as Producer on the Paramount film Tiger’s Apprentice which released this year.

Adjunct Professor at USC, and guest Professor at Escuela Escena in Mexico City.  She is  developing on several projects in animation, live action and television.

She is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, as well as the PGA and ASIFA.