Skydance chief communications officer Melissa Zukerman announced the senior leadership of the combined Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery communications operation in an internal memo. Her team includes deputy chief communications officer Laura Watson, former Paramount direct-to-consumer communications head Shannon Buck, corporate social responsibility head Deborah Marcus and events lead Virginia Fout.
๐ The Backstory
The structure follows the merger of Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery, which put the two companies' streamers under HBO/HBO Max's Casey Bloys and JB Perrette. Zukerman frames the communications job around three priorities set by Skydance co-CEOs David Ellison and Ynon Kreiz: build a premier content engine, accelerate direct-to-consumer, and optimise linear television anchored by CBS.
๐ฏ Why It Matters
The departures, including Joe Libonati, who worked alongside Zukerman through the merger, plus WBD's Adrienne O'Hara, Megan Klein and Dennis Williams, show how much senior talent consolidation costs. Zukerman is also creating a Direct to Market function to tell the company's story on its own platforms rather than through traditional press.
Skydance chief communications officer Melissa Zukerman announced the senior leadership of the combined Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery communications operation in an internal memo. Her team includes deputy chief communications officer Laura Watson, former Paramount direct-to-consumer communications head Shannon Buck, corporate social responsibility head Deborah Marcus and events lead Virginia Fout.
The structure follows the merger of Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery, which put the two companies' streamers under HBO/HBO Max's Casey Bloys and JB Perrette. Zukerman frames the communications job around three priorities set by Skydance co-CEOs David Ellison and Ynon Kreiz: build a premier content engine, accelerate direct-to-consumer, and optimise linear television anchored by CBS.
The departures, including Joe Libonati, who worked alongside Zukerman through the merger, plus WBD's Adrienne O'Hara, Megan Klein and Dennis Williams, show how much senior talent consolidation costs. Zukerman is also creating a Direct to Market function to tell the company's story on its own platforms rather than through traditional press.