Copyright The Hollywood Reporter
As Paramount Skydance undertakes a major round of layoffs affecting 1,000 employees, one of the company’s two TV studios is also reorganizing its executive team. Paramount Television Studios head Matt Thunell announced a number of changes to the studio’s leadership in a memo to staff on Thursday (read it in full, below). The recently revived studio combines the former Skydance TV and Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios, as well as Awesomeness and Nickelodeon’s live-action prodcutions. “As we move forward in this new incarnation of Paramount Television Studios, we must make changes to position our business for growth and success,” Thunell wrote in the memo. “To do that, we’re evolving our organization to better serve creators, audiences, and partners around the world through a new, streamlined structure.” As part of the reorganization, several high-level execs — including Keri Flint, executive vp and head of global production for MTVE/Showtime; Jeff Hegedus, executive vp business and legal affairs for Skydance; Paramount Media Networks, Showtime and MTVE CFO Candice Brancazio; and Shauna Phelan, head of live action series, films and talent at Nickelodeon and Awesomeness TV — are leaving the company. Their departures follow that of Paramount Animation head Ramsey Naito. A handful of others, including Showtime/MTVE head of global talent and content development Trevor Rose and finance executive Matt Hengemuhle, are moving to different parts of Paramount Skydance. Paramount Pictures COO Courtney Armstrong, CFO Mark Badagliacca, executive vp human resources Talia Robinson and executive vp global communications and media relations Brooke Robertson will add Paramount TV Studios to their purviews, as will the movie studio’s head of casting, Tricia Wood. Thunell’s full memo is below. Team, Over the last few months, we’ve brought together teams from Skydance, MTV Entertainment Studios, Showtime, Awesomeness, and Nickelodeon into one studio focused on making world-class television series. As we move forward in this new incarnation of Paramount Television Studios, we must make changes to position our business for growth and success. To do that, we’re evolving our organization to better serve creators, audiences, and partners around the world through a new, streamlined structure. Our studio has an enviable roster of senior executive talent, and after spending time with everyone, I’ve made key leadership decisions to ensure we achieve our ambitious goals. But this means we must also say goodbye to colleagues we deeply admire and respect. In the spirit of transparency, I want to share the following updates on our new leadership structure: Production · Drew Brown, currently EVP, Physical Production for Skydance, will be the new PTVS Head of Production, reporting to me. Drew is a seasoned executive who has been instrumental in some of Skydance’s biggest shows including Reacher for Prime Video. Prior to Skydance, he led Production at AMC Studios, where he was a driving force on series including The Walking Dead. · With this change, Keri Flint, EVP and Head of Global Production for MTVE/Showtime, will be stepping down. Keri has been with the company for more than two decades, and in that time, she has been an incredibly valued member of our team. Her credits and accomplishments are too numerous to count; we thank her for her lasting impact. Creative · Shelley Zimmerman and Carolyn Harris will continue in their roles as EVP, Head of Development and EVP, Head of Current, respectively, and will continue to report to me. · Keith Cox, currently President of MTVE Studios & Showtime and a champion of Yellowstone since day one, will continue to oversee our expansive lineup of shows from the Taylorverse and will report to me. Corporate Functions COO Courtney Armstrong, CFO Mark Badagliacca, EVP Human Resources Talia Robinson, and EVP Global Communications & Media Relations Brooke Robertson are expanding their respective purviews to encompass PTVS, in addition to their current roles at Paramount Pictures. A key strategic initiative for our studio is deeper partnership and collaboration with our Features colleagues. Placing these leaders across the entire studio is an important first step in achieving this goal. · Dawn Lach, SVP, Global Communications & Publicity, will transition from Skydance TV to PTVS, reporting to Brooke.
