Paramount TV Studios’ Deborah Aquila To Add Oversight Of CBS Studios Casting Following Meg Liberman’s Retirement

Nellie Andreeva
·3 min read

The streamlining of CBS Studios and Paramount Television Studios’ operations continues. Deborah Aquila, who heads casting for PTVS, will become the head of casting for both CBS Studios and Paramount TV Studios. She will add the responsibilities most recently held by CBS Studios EVP Casting Meg Liberman, who announced her retirement earlier today.

Aquila’s promotion was announced in a joint internal memo by David Stapf, President, CBS Studios and Nicole Clemens, President of Paramount Television Studios and Paramount+ Original Scripted Series.

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This is the latest step in a process kicked off by the October Paramount Global restructuring in which both CBS Studios and PTVS were put under the purview of George Cheeks, President & CEO, CBS and CCO, News & Sports, Paramount+. Paramount Global CEO Bob Bakish stressed at the time that Paramount TV Studios “will continue to operate as a studio alongside CBS Studios.”

Still, the two studios underwent a round of layoffs in late November, with Cheeks that day describing the process as centralizing backend functions, stressing again that CBS Studios and PTVS will have their own separate creative teams.

Casting was one of the areas most impacted by the November layoffs, along with BA, legal and production.

Aquila has led casting for PTVS since 2020. Her career, which spans almost four decades, includes stints as a casting director, by herself and in partnership with Tricia Wood, as well as work for Lionsgate and Paramount Pictures. She won Artios award for CODA and La La Land.

Here is the note from Clemens and Stapf:

To The CBS Studios and PTVS Teams –

Hi everyone. As many of you know, Meg Liberman, who has headed casting at CBS Studios for the past 14 years, announced earlier today that she is retiring, capping an incredible 40-plus-year career in the business.

Meg’s reputation, accomplishments and contributions to CBS Studios and the art of casting will long be remembered. We join all her colleagues in celebrating her career and wishing her a joyful and fulfilling next chapter.

With Meg leaving, we wanted to share with you our plans for the new casting structure. Deborah Aquila, who currently heads casting for PTVS, will become the singular head of casting for CBS Studios and Paramount TV Studios. Deb will report directly to both of us, and both Studios casting teams will report to Deb. She will assume oversight of the combined department this spring following a brief transition period with Meg.

Deb has led casting at PTVS since early in 2020, leading talent efforts on series such as “The Offer,” “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan,” as well as the upcoming “Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies” and “Fatal Attraction.”

Deb also has a decorated and expansive casting career across film and television, working on such acclaimed projects as the Oscar-winning films “CODA” and “La La Land,” the Oscar-nominated films “Sex, Lives and Videotape” and “The Shawshank Redemption,” and hit television series such as “Dexter” and “The Shield.”

She has been nominated 18 times for the Artios Award by the Casting Society of America, winning for her work on “CODA,” “La La Land” and others.

Please join us in congratulating Deb on her newly expanded role at CBS Studios and PTVS and thanking Meg for the amazing legacy she leaves behind.

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