Following the news of Marc Weinstock’s new oversee of a unified global marketing and distribution team at Paramount as President of Worldwide Marketing & Distribution, we’ve received news that a re-organization of both departments is underway Wednesday as the studio looks to meet consumers’ accelerated demands for content in a continued pandemic world. In total, we hear 44 jobs were cut around the globe.
“This is never easy, but our new structure moves us forward and positions us to maintain our competitive advantage, stay nimble, and drive the future success of the company,” Weinstock wrote today in an email to staff (read it in full below).
In the wake of Brian Robbins taking over the studio from Jim Gianopulos as President and CEO, an elastic means of distributing movies during Covid has been adopted with a theatrical day-and-date Paramount+ approach; the studio recently opening eOne’s Clifford the Big Red Dog to more than $22 million in five days. Separately, Paramount+ announced anecdotally it was the streamer’s most watched movie in a given weekend.
Paramount has a huge theatrical release calendar next year due to stockpiling of event films from the pandemic, i.e., Mission: Impossible 7, Top Gun Maverick, Jackass Forever, Scream and Lost City of D. Just before the pandemic hit in 2019, Paramount grossed $1.35 billion. It would not come as a shock to see 2022 greatly exceed that figure.
As Weinstock’s note details, “To achieve full integration of our Domestic and International Marketing teams, the following departments will now become global teams under the leadership of Danielle DePalma, EVP Global Marketing: Digital Marketing, Data Analytics, and Brand Marketing & Strategy.”
While Weinstock breaks down the reporting structure further, in regards to theatrical, Mark Viane, President International Distribution, Liz West, EVP Marketing Communications, and Rachel Cadden, EVP International Marketing, will continue to report to Weinstock. Meanwhile, Chris Aronson, President, Domestic Theatrical Distribution, Faye Ugolnik, EVP Media, Ellen Martello, EVP Finance WW Theatrical Marketing, and Leonard Iannelli, SVP Special Projects & Events, will continue their roles as key members of the studio’s brass.
Below is Weinstock’s note to staff:
Dear Colleagues,
Today we are announcing a set of strategic structural changes to our marketing and distribution operations around the world that will set us up for a future of greater efficiency and collaboration globally, allowing us to further evolve and be even more impactful in a rapidly changing marketplace.
To achieve full integration of our Domestic and International Marketing teams, the following departments will now become global teams under the leadership of Danielle DePalma, EVP Global Marketing: Digital Marketing, Data Analytics, and Brand Marketing & Strategy.
Reporting to Danielle will be:
Tamar Teifeld, SVP Global Digital Marketing
Adriana Trautman, SVP Global Brand Marketing & Strategy
Brice Tidwell, SVP Global Brand Marketing & Strategy
Jamal Salmon, SVP Global Data Analytics
Christine Benitez SVP, Multicultural Marketing, and DeDe Brown, SVP Multicultural Publicity, who run the marketing department’s multicultural efforts, will continue to report into Danielle and David Waldman, EVP Domestic Publicity, respectively. Karen Hermelin will continue in her role as the EVP Global Marketing, Strategy & Insights.
In another key move, Brian Pianko will be expanding his responsibilities as EVP Head of Creative Advertising, accountable for overseeing the day-to-day creative advertising activities for the division. He will report to Peter Giannascoli, who will now serve as President, Global Creative Marketing.
Reporting directly to Peter will be Jordan Park Peed, EVP International Creative Advertising and Marketing along with Danielle Kupchak, EVP Global Creative Content; Craig Cox, EVP Post Production and Michele Bell, EVP Home Entertainment Creative Services.
Our global promotions function will continue to be led by Michelle Hagen, EVP Global Partnerships, who will work with Irene Trachtenberg, SVP International Promotions, to merge domestic and international resources to create partner marketing campaigns that support the global mindset.
In this new structure, Mark Viane, President International Distribution; Liz West, EVP Marketing Communications; and Rachel Cadden, EVP International Marketing are key members of my leadership team and will continue to report to me. And continuing in their roles as key members of the executive team are: Chris Aronson, President Domestic Theatrical Distribution; Faye Ugolnik, EVP Media; Ellen Martello, EVP Finance WW Theatrical Marketing; and Leonard Iannelli, SVP Special Projects & Events.
With this restructuring, we’ve had to make the difficult decision to eliminate some positions across the domestic and international marketing and distribution divisions. Internationally, as the new organization will also support territory offices going forward, regional offices will become solely focused on our distribution business. Unfortunately, Cameron Saunders, EVP EMEA will be leaving the company, while Richard Aseme and Yit-ching Lee, both VP, Distribution, EMEA, will lead distribution efforts in EMEA. Ricardo Cortes, SVP Theatrical, LATAM & MD Mexico & Eugene Yang, SVP Theatrical, Asia-Pacific, remain leading distribution for LATAM and the Asia-Pacific regions respectively.
We would like to thank all those impacted for their many excellent contributions to the company.
This is never easy, but our new structure moves us forward and positions us to maintain our competitive advantage, stay nimble, and drive the future success of the company.
I look forward to meeting with this newly-announced leadership team, and all of you, in the coming weeks as we build out our fantastic slate for next year and beyond.
Marc