Overview
- Hooper’s exit was reported on Oct. 27, 2026, first by Deadline and confirmed by TheWrap and Variety.
- She served roughly 20 years as Searchlight’s EVP of Marketing and led publicity and awards strategy that yielded 21 Best Picture nominations and five Best Picture winners for the label.
- Inside the industry she was known as “The Closer” for finishing awards campaigns and was praised for her creative instincts and ability to position films for voters.
- Her final Searchlight projects include Martin McDonagh’s Wild Horse Nine and Tony Gilroy’s Behemoth!, both currently in awards-season campaigning.
- Deadline reported that the departure may be linked to recent cuts at Disney studios, a claim the outlets attribute to limited industry understanding and that has not been confirmed by an official studio statement.