Copyright The Hollywood Reporter
Ramsey Naito is the latest executive at Paramount to depart the studio as CEO David Ellison continues his leadership shakeup. Naito, who has been the president of Paramount Animation since September 2021, shared in a message to employees Wednesday evening, “I want to share with you that I am leaving the company and closing this very special chapter with all of you. Leading this incredible team of talented storytellers, artists and dreamers, and watching the magic that you’ve spun from your imagination and dedication, has been one of the great joys of my career.” Before leading the studio’s animation division, she was previously the head of Nickelodeon Animation. During her time with Paramount and Nickelodeon, she oversaw the franchise expansions of PAW Patrol, SpongeBob SquarePants, Smurfs, Baby Shark, Rugrats, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Transformers, among others. Naito’s exit comes as Ellison begins major layoffs at the studio following the Skydance-Paramount merger in August. In his memo to staff Wednesday morning regarding the cuts, he wrote, “In some areas, we are addressing redundancies that have emerged across the organization. In others, we are phasing out roles that are no longer aligned with our evolving priorities and the new structure designed to strengthen our focus on growth.” Read Naito’s full memo to staff below. Team, I want to share with you that I am leaving the company and closing this very special chapter with all of you. Leading this incredible team of talented storytellers, artists and dreamers, and watching the magic that you’ve spun from your imagination and dedication, has been one of the great joys of my career. I am so proud of the work the animation teams and I have done for the last 8+ years. I am honored to have given new life and love to the beloved characters and stories within the vast Paramount and Nickelodeon libraries—from SpongeBob to PAW Patrol to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles—and the birth of a whole new slate of originals for today’s generation. Not only am I endlessly proud of what we’ve built, but even more so the spirit behind it — the collaboration, creativity, and kindness that define this team. Though I’m moving on, I’ll always be cheering you on (and singing along to the PAW Patrol theme or humming the TMNT riff when I see your work lighting up screens everywhere). Thank you to Josh, Dana and the fantastic leadership team who I know will keep propelling our animation business to great heights.
