ViacomCBS Inc. (NASDAQ: VIACA, VIAC) (“ViacomCBS”) today
announced a leadership change at Paramount Pictures. Effective
immediately, Jim Gianopulos, Chairman and CEO of Paramount
Pictures, will transition oversight of Paramount to Brian Robbins,
who has been appointed President and CEO of the studio in addition
to maintaining his current responsibilities leading Nickelodeon.
Gianopulos will serve in an advisory role at Paramount through the
end of the year to help ensure a smooth transition.
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Brian Robbins (Photo: Business Wire)
In addition, Paramount Television Studios (PTVS) will now become
part of the premium network group under the leadership of David
Nevins, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Showtime Networks,
bringing together the divisions’ premium scripted content
capabilities. Nicole Clemens will continue to lead PTVS in her
capacity as President, PTVS, reporting directly to Nevins.
As part of this transition, and in line with ViacomCBS’s
previously announced streaming content leadership structure,
Robbins will assume oversight of films produced for Paramount+ as
well as continue to be responsible for kids and family content
globally for the streaming service. Nevins and Clemens will also
continue to serve in their current Paramount+ roles of Chief
Content Officer, Scripted Originals, and President of Original
Scripted Series, respectively.
“Paramount is one of ViacomCBS’s crown jewels, delivering some
of the most iconic moments in entertainment for more than a
century. The moves we’re making today will build on Paramount’s
strong momentum, ensuring it continues to engage audiences at scale
while embracing viewers’ evolving tastes and habits,” said Bob
Bakish, President and CEO of ViacomCBS. “A passionate storyteller
who takes a holistic view of the entertainment ecosystem, Brian is
an expert at building powerhouse global franchises by leaning into
the unique strengths of new and established platforms – including
theatrical releases, streaming, linear, consumer products and more.
With Brian drawing on his extensive experiences across animation
and live action, and David overseeing Paramount Television Studios,
we will build on Paramount’s incredible legacy and chart a new path
for the studio.”
Bakish continued, “Jim is a towering figure in Hollywood who has
successfully led Paramount through an extraordinary period in the
film industry. From the wild success of the A Quiet Place franchise
to the Oscar-winning Rocketman to fan favorites like Sonic the
Hedgehog and Mission: Impossible – Fallout, he has overseen the
creation of films that have achieved both critical acclaim and
commercial success. I want to extend my deepest gratitude to Jim
for his leadership in establishing a revitalized Paramount.”
Said Gianopulos, “I’ve been privileged to be part of this
amazing world of film and television for almost 40 years, and at
the heart, it was always driven by two principal things: the
brilliant talent of storytellers, whose visionary expression
excelled in every medium and whom I did my best to empower, and a
fantastic team of colleagues who helped me make that happen. I’ve
been honored to help guide the evolution and massive expansion of
creative content, from the birth of video to global TV access, to
the launch of iTunes, to ubiquitous internet availability, and now
the streaming revolution. The opportunity to take the reins at
Paramount and revitalize it, build first-class executive and
creative teams, and restore it to both profitability and creative
success has been a source of pride. Brian has a long and successful
career, and having worked closely with him, I know he and the team
at Paramount will have great accomplishments in the future. I wish
them all the very best success.”
“Jim is nothing less than legendary in this business, and I am
humbled and grateful to him for his years of mentorship and
friendship during our time working together,” said Robbins. “I am
excited about the future for Paramount Pictures, and I want to
thank Bob Bakish for the opportunity to use this incredibly
powerful and broad canvas to produce films for every audience and
deliver them in the ways today’s consumers want to experience
them.”
As President of Nickelodeon since October 2018, Robbins has
overseen culture-defining content and franchises at the number-one
entertainment brand for kids with a proven ability to successfully
engage theatrical, streaming and linear TV audiences by
understanding the power of each platform. Franchises such as PAW
Patrol and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reach hundreds of millions
of young people around the world through TV shows, movies and
consumer products, while SpongeBob SquarePants has become one of
the most popular animated characters of all time.
Under Robbins’ leadership, Nickelodeon has become a powerful
driver of subscribers and engagement at Paramount+ since its launch
in March 2021. Programming for young audiences, such as PAW Patrol:
The Movie and the series and films in the SpongeBob SquarePants
universe, account for a double-digit share of total streams, and
the platform’s slate includes numerous highly anticipated releases
from the likes of Nickelodeon’s Avatar Studios.
Prior to his appointment at Nickelodeon, Robbins served as
President of Paramount Pictures’ Paramount Players division, where
he worked closely with legacy-Viacom brands to identify talent and
properties to be developed into co-branded feature films.
Previously, Robbins co-founded the multiplatform media company
Awesomeness in 2012 and served as its CEO. He also co-founded
Tollins/Robbins Productions and was the Founder and President of
Varsity Pictures.
Robbins has executive produced numerous television and movie
hits, including Kenan and Kel and All That, the latter of which
Robbins adapted into the Nickelodeon feature film Good Burger;
directed the Paramount films Varsity Blues and Hardball; executive
produced Blue Mountain State for Spike TV (now Paramount Network);
and also produced the television series Smallville and One Tree
Hill, among others.
Robbins is the recipient of a Directors Guild Award, a Peabody
Award and the International Academy of Television Arts and
Sciences’ Pioneer Prize. He is also an Emmy Award nominee.
Gianopulos’s distinguished career in the global entertainment
industry spans nearly 40 years. Gianopulos took the reins of the
studio in April 2017, revitalizing the studio and restoring
profitability consistently throughout his tenure.
During his time at Paramount, Gianopulos has been responsible
for creating and restoring massively successful franchises
including A Quiet Place and A Quiet Place Part II, with more films
in the works; Sonic the Hedgehog, with a sequel slated for release
next year; Mission: Impossible – Fallout, the most profitable and
critically-acclaimed film in the franchise, with the seventh and
eight installments in production; the highly-anticipated Top Gun:
Maverick; and Bumblebee, which marked a reinvigorated Transformers
brand, returning the franchise to both profitability and critical
acclaim. Additionally, Gianopulos rebuilt the popular Tom Clancy
franchise across both film and television and was responsible for
the award-winning 2018 hit Elton John biopic Rocketman.
During his tenure, Gianopulos built a first-class team of film
and television executives, including his hiring of former Twentieth
Century Studios chief executive Emma Watts to oversee the motion
picture group, as well as bringing on seasoned marketing leaders,
including Marc Weinstock and Mary Daily, and re-establishing
Paramount Animation under the leadership of Mireille Soria, among
other key roles. On the television side, Gianopulos built Paramount
Television Studios, with Clemens at the helm, increasing output to
more than 20 shows consistently in production and on the air.
High-profile projects in production include The Offer, about the
making of The Godfather, for Paramount+ and American Gigolo for
Showtime.
Prior to joining Paramount, Gianopulos served as the Chairman
and CEO of Fox Filmed Entertainment from 2000 to September 2016. In
this role, he was responsible for feature film production,
marketing, and global distribution of film and television content
in all media. During his time as Chairman and CEO of Fox, the
studio had its most profitable years ever, and in 2014, Twentieth
Century Fox broke the all-time industry global box-office record,
earning more than $5.5 billion. Gianopulos also has the distinction
of having championed two of the biggest film successes in history,
Titanic and Avatar.
Gianopulos chairs the Board of the Motion Picture and Television
Fund, serves as Treasurer of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
Board of Trustees, and is a member of the board of the USC School
of Cinematic Arts and a trustee of the American Film Institute.
About ViacomCBS
ViacomCBS (NASDAQ: VIAC; VIACA) is a leading global media and
entertainment company that creates premium content and experiences
for audiences worldwide. Driven by iconic consumer brands, its
portfolio includes CBS, Showtime Networks, Paramount Pictures,
Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, BET, Paramount+, Pluto TV and
Simon & Schuster, among others. The company delivers the
largest share of the U.S. television audience and boasts one of the
industry’s most important and extensive libraries of TV and film
titles. In addition to offering innovative streaming services and
digital video products, ViacomCBS provides powerful capabilities in
production, distribution, and advertising solutions for partners on
five continents. For more information about
ViacomCBS, please visit www.viacomcbs.com and follow @ViacomCBS
on social platforms.
VIAC-IR
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210913005797/en/
Media Contacts Justin Dini Executive Vice
President, Corporate Communications (212) 846-2724
justin.dini@viacomcbs.com Chris Petrikin EVP Paramount
Global Communications & Corporate Branding (323) 956-4420
Chris_Petrikin@paramount.com Investors Anthony
DiClemente Executive Vice President, Investor Relations (917)
796-4647 anthony.diclemente@viacomcbs.com
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