Mara Mikialian, senior vice president of media relations at HBO, has decided to leave the premium cable network to will pursue other opportunities amid ongoing restructuring at parent company WarnerMedia, an individual with knowledge of the situation tells TheWrap.
After working at the cable network for 36 years and notably leading the pay TV channel’s “Game of Thrones” PR campaigns for the show’s entire eight-season run, Mikialian’s final day at HBO will be Jan. 13. Her exit follows that of fellow longtime HBO PR execs Nancy Lesser and Quentin Schaffer.
Mikialian oversaw strategic planning and implementation of publicity campaigns for numerous other projects over the years, including “Band of Brothers,” “From the Earth to the Moon,” “Six Feet Under,” “True Blood,” “The Pacific,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Our Boys,” “The Young Pope,” “My Brilliant Friend” and “My Dinner with Hervé,” as well as earlier HBO shows, like “Not Necessarily the News,” “Dream On” and “1st and Ten.”
Additionally, Mikialian handled 20 years of Comic Relief specials as well as 15 years of The US Comedy Arts Festival and several comedy and music specials.
Starting her PR career in the music industry while studying public relations and communications in college at USC, Mikialian worked in the PR departments for various record labels, including Elektra/Asylum and Epic Records. Her transition to television came in 1983 when she joined HBO.