Showtime Merges with MTV Entertainment Studios, Roughly 120 Staffers Laid Off

Hello everyone,

As we continue to integrate SHOWTIME across the organization partnering with Tom Ryan and his team in streaming, I’m excited to share that we’re combining SHOWTIME and MTV Entertainment Studios into one unified leadership team. Together, these creative powerhouses make some of the biggest hits in TV: From Yellowstone to Yellowjackets, Dexter to The Daily Show, Billions to Beavis, The Chi to The Challenge, Jersey Shore to Tulsa King, Drag Race to The Department, Love and Hip Hop to Your Honor, plus Emily in Paris, South Park and Mayor of Kingstown, to name just a few.

Additionally, below you will also find the leadership team for our new unified group as well as the key SHOWTIME executives.

Everyone listed reports to me except where noted.

Please join me in congratulating these seasoned and exceptional leaders with whom I’m privileged to work alongside as we maximize our full creative potential and harness our creative strengths.

Creative Leadership – SHOWTIME/MTV Entertainment Studios

Nina L. Diaz – Nina will expand her role as Chief Creative Officer & President of Content
Keith Cox – Keith will expand his role as President of Scripted, reporting to Nina
Amy Israel – Amy will continue in her role as EVP for SHOWTIME Original Scripted, reporting to Nina
Trevor Rose – Trevor will expand his role as EVP/Head of Talent and Casting, reporting to Nina
Keri Flint – Keri will expand her role as EVP/Head of Production, reporting to Nina and Keyes
Michael Elias – Michael will take on a new role as EVP/Head of Scripted Production, reporting to Keri

Please note, Unscripted content will be managed by the existing Unscripted leadership team under Nina.

SHOWTIME – Executives

Gary Levine – As announced earlier, Gary will be Senior Creative Advisor for SHOWTIME
Virginia Lazalde McPherson – Virginia will be taking on a new role as EVP/Head of Strategy & Business Operations, serving as my deputy for all things SHOWTIME
Amy Britt – Amy will continue her role as EVP Talent & Casting for SHOWTIME reporting to Gary and Trevor
Tracey Wolfson – Tracey will continue in her role as SVP, Program Operations and Global Distribution, reporting to Keyes
Ken Kay – Ken will continue in his role as EVP of Distribution for SHOWTIME, reporting to Ray Hopkins
Stephen Espinoza – Stephen will continue in his role as President of Sports, moving over to CBS Sports reporting to David Berson, President of CBS Sports
Michael Engleman – Michael will continue in his role as Chief Marketing Officer
Kim Lemon – Kim will continue in his role as EVP/Head of Insights & Prog., reporting to Colleen and me

Group Leadership – Paramount Media Networks and SHOWTIME/MTV Entertainment Studios

Keyes Hill-Edgar – Keyes will expand his role as Chief Operating Officer
Barbara Zaneri – Barb will expand her role as Chief Programming Acquisitions Officer for Paramount Global, taking on day to day responsibilities for SHOWTIME
Laurel Weir – Laurel will continue in her role as EVP/Head of Prog. & Insights, reporting to Colleen and me
Ericka Wright-Tomlinson – Ericka will expand her role as SVP/Head of HR, reporting to Whitney Delich, EVP HR
Jeannie Scalzo – Jeannie will expand her role as EVP of Brand Partnerships across the Group
Lance McPherson – Lance will expand his role as EVP, Deputy GC and Business & Legal Affairs, reporting to Seth Levin, EVP and Deputy GC for Paramount Media Networks and will continue to partner with Keyes
Liza Burnett Fefferman – Liza will expand her role as EVP/Head of Comms. & Co-Head, MTV Doc Films w/Nina
Amy Campbell – Amy will continue in her role as Chief Marketing Officer
Candice Brancazio – Candice will expand her role as CFO, partnering w/Keyes & reporting to Bryon Rubin, CFO of TV Media
Kelly Bradshaw – Kelly will continue in her role as SVP/Head of International Markets, reporting to Pam and me

Additionally, Bruce Gillmer will continue to oversee all music across the company inclusive of Showtime in his role as President of Music and Tentpole Events continuing to report to Bob. No changes to Nickelodeon Networks and, as previously announced, Erin Calhoun has expanded her role as EVP Comms. for Paramount/Showtime Streaming & Cross-Co. Publicity, reporting to Tom Ryan & Justin Dini, Head of Comms. Erin will continue to partner with Liza and me on the content we create for streaming.

With this new structure, we will be saying goodbye to several colleagues and friends who have been vital in making SHOWTIME what is today including from the executive team: Michael Crotty, Vinnie Malhotra, Rob Rosenberg, Kent Sevener and, as announced earlier today, Jana Winograde. Please join me in thanking them for their invaluable contributions and wishing them the best in their next endeavors.

Many thanks,

Chris

Hello everyone,

I would like to provide you with an update regarding our Co-Presidents of Entertainment at SHOWTIME, Gary Levine, and Jana Winograde.

Gary Levine

Gary approached me because after more than 22 years of overseeing all of the original programming at SHOWTIME, he was ready to use his formidable creative skills in a more focused way. I am very pleased to say that Gary will be taking on a new role as Senior Creative Advisor for SHOWTIME, reporting to me. Gary has been the creative force for nearly two decades at SHOWTIME, helping to give birth and sustain the quality of some of TV’s most iconic series, including DEXTER, BILLIONS, THE CHI, HOMELAND, THE L WORD, NURSE JACKIE, CALIFORNICATION, SHAMELESS, WEEDS, YELLOWJACKETS, YOUR HONOR and so many others, which is why I am thrilled he will be here for the next chapter of SHOWTIME.

Gary’s interests are many, including his devotion to theater and his moonlighting as a cantor at his synagogue. His office doesn’t display many items, but they are clearly cherished ones – including a shovel from his former colleagues at ABC that is engraved with one of Gary’s phrases “Let’s Dig In.” As anyone who has worked with Gary will tell you, he is incredibly personable – but when it comes to the work he wants to cut to the chase and “dig in.” I am delighted that he will now be able to dig in, in a more focused way, on several key shows and franchises, while continuing to advise me and the leaders of Showtime.

Gary’s contributions to SHOWTIME might surpass those of anyone in the history of the network. He has left his undeniable mark, and I am so happy he will be here as we create the next generation of programming.

Jana Winograde

With the integration of SHOWTIME across the company, many of the current functions that Jana oversees including business affairs, production, operations, and casting are being centralized and therefore, Jana will be leaving.

In her six years here, Jana has been a passionate advocate for SHOWTIME. Her talented and steady leadership helped to evolve the business and our partnerships with our creative community. Along with Gary and the creative teams, Jana has been instrumental in launching many of our biggest wins, including the acclaimed recent series, DEXTER: NEW BLOOD, YELLOWJACKETS and YOUR HONOR.

Not only has Jana has been a deft steward of the SHOWTIME brand, her strategic acumen has boosted the network’s profile domestically and around the world. Perhaps most of all, it’s clear how much Jana dedicated herself to the SHOWTIME family, mentoring junior staff members and maintaining an open-door policy for colleagues at all levels. Without a doubt, she has been a supportive and motivating force for everyone at SHOWTIME.

On a personal level, I am especially grateful for Jana’s thoughtful and passionate partnership over the last few months. Jana has been pivotal in positioning SHOWTIME to continue to thrive as a brand, studio and streaming service.

I will be providing an update soon about a new, unified leadership structure for our organization. In the meantime, please join me in congratulating Gary on his new role and thanking Jana for her many contributions and wishing her continued success for years to come.

Thanks,

Chris

Hello friends,

As most of you know, after an amazing six years, I will be leaving Showtime. When I came to Showtime after 23 years at ABC, it was hard to imagine feeling the same sense of commitment, passion and belonging at another company. But the culture of collaboration, hard work and inspired creativity was contagious, and that, coupled with the opportunity to play a key role in the transformation of our business model, have made my years at Showtime some of the best of my career.

Perhaps most exciting has been the opportunity David Nevins and Showtime gave me to spread my creative wings. As President of Entertainment, I’ve transitioned from a business executive with a keen curiosity about the creative process into one who’s been integrally involved with the development and production of groundbreaking, bold programming. I could not have asked for a better partner than Gary Levine, and working with him and our entire creative team was a master class in premium content. Showtime’s commitment to the highest level of excellence is unsurpassed and this company’s unique culture encouraged us to take risks, whether with new voices, bold visionaries or diverse story telling. We were successful as a business, we made groundbreaking entertainment, and we had a great time doing it!

I know that when I reflect on my years at Showtime, I’ll forever be proud of the stories we told and the ways in which we told them, and I’ll be indebted to everyone from whom I’ve learned so much. But, most of all, I’ll be thankful to have worked with the incredible people who built the game-changer that is Showtime. You are not only the best team in the business, but the best people.

With affection,

Jana