NBCUniversal Unveils New Leadership Structure at DreamWorks
August 23 2016 - 4:10PM
Dow Jones News
By Erich Schwartzel
Comcast Corp.'s NBCUniversal announced a leadership structure at
its newly acquired DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. on Tuesday that
keeps the "Shrek" studio separate from the other animation company
under its roof, Illumination Entertainment.
When NBCUniversal's acquisition of DreamWorks was reported
earlier this year, an open question was if and how the company
would integrate with Illumination, which has provided a steady
stream of hits for Universal Pictures like "Minions" and "The
Secret Life of Pets."
NBCUniversal's outline of the new leadership structure,
announced a day after the $3.8 billion acquisition closed, didn't
include Illumination Chief Executive Chris Meledandri. But the
studio left the door open for his involvement down the road.
"Now that the deal has closed, we will be working with Chris to
determine the most effective path forward for Illumination and
DreamWorks Animation," a Universal spokesman said.
The studio has some time in figuring out a final arrangement:
Universal Pictures won't not begin distributing DreamWorks movies
until 2018, when an existing agreement with Twentieth Century Fox
expires. DreamWorks has three releases planned before then, and
movies in development at the company for release after 2018 are
being evaluated by Universal.
The heads of DreamWorks' biggest divisions will stay in
place.
Bonnie Arnold and Mireille Soria, two veteran producers elevated
to co-presidents of feature animation in 2015, will continue
running the feature animation group and report to Universal
Pictures Chairman Donna Langley.
DreamWorks' head of animated television, Margie Cohn, will lead
an integrated DreamWorks and Universal television animation
business and report to Universal Filmed Entertainment Group
Chairman Jeff Shell. DreamWorks' growing television business was
among the top draws of the company to Universal.
DreamWorks' games, digital and consumer-products divisions will
be absorbed into similar departments at NBCUniversal. Marketing and
distribution operations will also be combined.
As previously announced, DreamWorks Chief Executive Jeffrey
Katzenberg will become chairman of DreamWorks New Media, which will
oversee NBCUniversal stakes in online-video producer AwesomenessTV
and the NOVA technology company. Ann Daly, a longtime deputy of Mr.
Katzenburg's who served as President at DreamWorks, will step down
from the company.
Write to Erich Schwartzel at erich.schwartzel@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
August 23, 2016 15:55 ET (19:55 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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