Overview
- Skydance named Sarah Bergman and Mickey Carter co‑EVPs of distribution in a memo on Nov. 3 that said the two will split responsibility for negotiating deals and managing platform partnerships.
- The company announced eight senior departures from the legacy Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount teams, with four executives from each side leaving the combined company.
- Jeff Cross will depart but remain a senior adviser to the distribution business, and Paramount deputy general counsel Rick Baker will assume Cross’s operational duties for legal and commercial matters.
- Ray Hopkins named seven deputies into new roles — including Brad Shipley for business development, Patrick Cavanaugh as distribution CFO, and Bob Aguanno to run CBS affiliate relations — to run negotiations for cable operators, roughly 200 CBS stations, streaming services, Pluto TV and FAST channels.
- The shakeup follows the Oct. 6 merger that created Skydance and comes as the company manages about $80 billion in net debt and pursues at least $6 billion in annual savings while offering voluntary buyouts and preparing broader workforce cuts before year end.