The leadership shuffle continues at Paramount as the studio has announced a reorganization of its unified global marketing and distribution division under the leadership of president Marc Weinstock that will see 44 jobs be cut.
The reorg and layoffs come less than two months after Brian Robbins replaced Jim Gianopulos as the CEO of Paramount, with Weinstock’s promotion to the top marketing spot soon following. Among the branches being integrated into the division are digital marketing, brand marketing & strategy and data analytics, all of which will now report to Danielle DePalma, EVP Global Marketing.
Theatrically, Mark Viane, President International Distribution, Liz West, EVP Marketing Communications, and Rachel Cadden, EVP International Marketing, will continue to report to Weinstock, while Domestic Distribution President Chris Aronson, Faye Ugolnik, EVP Media; Ellen Martello, EVP Finance WW Theatrical Marketing; and Leonard Iannelli, SVP Special Projects & Events, will continue in their roles.
“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,” wrote Weinstock in a memo to Paramount employees.
“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.”
Paramount helped kickstart the box office rebuilding process with “A Quiet Place: Part II” in May, a sequel that grossed $160 million domestically and $297 million worldwide against a $55 million budget. Since then, it has released a pair of family films, “Paw Patrol: The Movie” and “Clifford the Big Red Dog” in theaters and on Paramount+, with “Clifford” earning a $22 million extended opening this past weekend at the box office while becoming Paramount+’s most viewed movie to date.
In 2022, the studio is expected to leave an even bigger mark on the box office with a pair of Tom Cruise blockbusters, “Mission: Impossible 7” and “Top Gun: Maverick,” along with other films like “Jackass Forever,” “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” and a revival of “Scream.”