Matt Thunell Sets Leadership Team At Paramount Television Studios

EXCLUSIVE: The revived Paramount Television Studios is taking shape. Matt Thunell, President of the streaming-focused production unit of the post-merger Paramount Skydance, has assembled his senior executive team. It draws largely from the rosters of Skydance Television and Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios, the two main entities that were combined into the new studio, along with Nickelodeon live-action and Awesomeness. He unveiled the structure in a company memo, a copy of which was obtained by Deadline.

“As we move forward in this new incarnation of Paramount Television Studios, we must make changes to position our business for growth and success,” Thunell said in the email, which you can read in full below. “To do that, we’re evolving our organization to better serve creators, audiences, and partners around the world through a new, streamlined structure. ” 

That structure includes department heads in areas such as Creative, Production, Business Affairs & Legal, Finance & BA, with some functions, including Talent & Casting and Corporate, handled though Paramount Pictures under whose umbrella PTVS sits. Since there were senior executives in those fields on both the Skydance and Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios side, combining the teams has resulted in departures, along with an arrival of a Netflix VP. The exiting executives were part of the 1,000 layoffs across Paramount on Wednesday.

One area where the top executives from both sides are staying on is Creative. Skydance Television’s EVP, Head of Development Shelley Zimmerman  and EVP, Head of Current Carolyn Harris will assume the same roles at Paramount TV Studios.

Meanwhile, Keith Cox, President of Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios, will continue to oversee the series under his purview, including the slate of Taylor Sheridan, and Emily In Paris. Years ago, when he was at Paramount Network, Cox bought Yellowstone in the room and has remained a main liaison for the prolific creator who will be based at PTVS until his overall deal comes to an end in December 2028 and Sheridan moves to NBCUniversal. Zimmerman, Harris and Cox will all report to Thunell.

The new Paramount Television Studios, launched following the completion of Skydance’s acquisition of Paramount Global in August, is overseen by Dana Goldberg, Co-Chair of Paramount Pictures and Chair of Paramount Television. Both Goldberg and Thunell come from Skydance — where she was CCO and he was President of Television — with several executives on Thunell’s team there transitioning to PTVS.

In addition to Zimmerman and Harris, that includes Drew Brown, EVP, Physical Production for Skydance TV, who has been named Head of Production for PTVS, reporting to Thunell.

Keri Flint, EVP and Head of Global Production for Showtime/MTVE, is departing after for more than two decades with the company.

Executives from Paramount Global will lead PTVS’ Legal and Business Affairs operations. The roles will be split. Virginia Lazalde-McPherson, who a couple of months ago was promoted to Chief Acquisitions Officer for Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios, will serve as Head of BA. She has held Head of BA positions at Showtime and YouTube Originals.

Lance McPherson, EVP, Deputy General Counsel and Head of Business & Legal Affairs for Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios, will become EVP, Legal Affairs for PTVS.

Stepping down is Jeff Hegedus EVP, TV Business & Legal Affairs for Skydance, whom Thunell called “a selfless mentor and a steadfast colleague.”

Thunell went outside of Paramount in search of Head of Finance, bringing in Mel Rauch, with whom he had worked closely at  Netflix where she served as VP of EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) Content Finance & Strategy.

Arturo Reyes, EVP and Global Head of Production Finance at Skydance, will become Head of Production Finance for PTVS, reporting to Rauch.  

Leaving is Candice Brancazio, CFO, Paramount Media Networks, Showtime/MTVE Studios. Matt Hengemuhle also is departing his role as SVP, Financial Planning & Analysis but will remain at Paramount, transitioning to the Direct to Consumer business. PTVS will appoint a FP&A lead soon.

Also stepping down is Shauna Phelan, EVP, Head of Live-Action Series, Films & Talent, Nickelodeon and Awesomeness TV, who has held leadership positions across the two divisions for seven years. She is in talks to become a producer on some of the high-profile projects she has developed.

It is unclear whether a dedicated PTVS executive will succeed her in overseeing the slate, which includes the newly ordered by Netflix Victorious spinoff Hollywood Arts, or will that be a group effort.

“Going forward, we remain committed to creating high-quality content for kids, teens and families — building on our incredible IP, championing new ideas, and operating as one unified team,” Thunell said.

Tricia Wood, EVP Casting for Paramount Pictures, will expand her role to also oversee casting for PTVS.

“We believe this structure will encourage on-screen talent to work more seamlessly across our Features and Television Series,” Thunell said.

As a result, Trevor Rose, EVP, Head of Global Talent and Content Development for Showtime/MTVE, will be leaving the studio but staying at Paramount in the TV Media group that includes CBS, CBS Studios and the cable entertainment networks.

Other Paramount Pictures executives who will expand their purviews to include PTVS oversight include COO Courtney Armstrong, CFO Mark Badagliacca, EVP Human Resources Talia Robinson, and EVP Global Communications & Media Relations Brooke Robertson.   

Skydance’s SVP Marketing and publicity Dawn Lach will transition to PTVS as SVP, Global Communications & Publicity, reporting to Robertson.

“I know these are a lot of changes, but I am confident this new structure will strengthen collaboration, streamline decision-making, and super-charge our growth,” Thunell said about the new structure while also thanking the departing executives.

Paramount TV Studios’ blended slate includes such series as Landman, Tulsa King, Lioness and Mayor of Kingstown — all from Sheridan; The Agency, MobLand, and School Spirits for Paramount+; Dexter: Resurrection for Showtime; Reacher, Cross, and The Runarounds for Prime Video; Foundation for Apple TV+; Emily in Paris and XO, Kitty for Netflix; and The Road for CBS.

Upcoming series include spinoffs Hollywood Arts, Yellowstone offshoots Y: Marshals, The Dutton Ranch, The Madison, and Reacher spinoff Neagley, as well as Ride or Die for Prime Video and Neuromancer, 12 12 12, and Brothers for Apple TV.

Since the new Paramount TV Studios incarnation’s launch, it has landed its first series greenlights, from Paramount+ for the limited series 9/12 starring Jeremy Strong, which originated at Skydance, and from Netflix for Hollywood Arts. It also got a Season 2 renewal for Dexter: Resurrection.

Additionally, the studio signed its first talent deal, a first-look pact with Jessica Biel’s Iron Ocean, which stemmed from initial conversations at Skydance Television. And it will be the TV home of the Duffer brothers when they come to Paramount from Netflix in April for a big four-year exclusive film, TV and streaming deal.

PTVS, which focuses on streaming projects, is functioning alongside Paramount’s other major TV production entity, CBS Studios.

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Here is Thunell’s memo:

Team, 

Over the last few months, we’ve brought together teams from Skydance, MTV Entertainment Studios, Showtime, Awesomeness, and Nickelodeon into one studio focused on making world-class television series. As we move forward in this new incarnation of Paramount Television Studios, we must make changes to position our business for growth and success. To do that, we’re evolving our organization to better serve creators, audiences, and partners around the world through a new, streamlined structure.  

Our studio has an enviable roster of senior executive talent, and after spending time with everyone, I’ve made key leadership decisions to ensure we achieve our ambitious goals. But this means we must also say goodbye to colleagues we deeply admire and respect. In the spirit of transparency, I want to share the following updates on our new leadership structure: 

 Production 

·                     Drew Brown, currently EVP, Physical Production for Skydance, will be the new PTVS Head of Production, reporting to me. Drew is a seasoned executive who has been instrumental in some of Skydance’s biggest shows including Reacher for Prime Video. Prior to Skydance, he led Production at AMC Studios, where he was a driving force on series including The Walking Dead.  

·                     With this change, Keri Flint, EVP and Head of Global Production for MTVE/Showtime, will be stepping down. Keri has been with the company for more than two decades, and in that time, she has been an incredibly valued member of our team. Her credits and accomplishments are too numerous to count; we thank her for her lasting impact. 

Creative 

·                     Shelley Zimmerman and Carolyn Harris will continue in their roles as EVP, Head of Development and EVP, Head of Current, respectively, and will continue to report to me. 

·                     Keith Cox, currently President of MTVE Studios & Showtime and a champion of Yellowstone since day one, will continue to oversee our expansive lineup of shows from the Taylorverse and will report to me. 

Corporate Functions 

·                     COO Courtney Armstrong, CFO Mark Badagliacca, EVP Human Resources Talia Robinson, and EVP Global Communications & Media Relations Brooke Robertson are expanding their respective purviews to encompass PTVS, in addition to their current roles at Paramount Pictures. A key strategic initiative for our studio is deeper partnership and collaboration with our Features colleagues. Placing these leaders across the entire studio is an important first step in achieving this goal.   

·                     Dawn Lach, SVP, Global Communications & Publicity, will transition from Skydance TV to PTVS, reporting to Brooke.  

Business Affairs & Legal Affairs 

·                     Moving forward, Business Affairs and Legal Affairs will operate as two distinct groups. Our Head of Business Affairs will be Virginia Lazalde McPherson, who previously served as EVP, Business Affairs at Showtime, and was Global Head of Business Affairs at YouTube Originals prior to that. Bringing a wealth of experience and top-notch relationships, I’m excited to partner with Virginia in this new role.  

·                     Lance McPherson will transition from his role as EVP, Deputy General Counsel and Head of Business & Legal Affairs to EVP, Legal Affairs. He will oversee all legal efforts for our studio going forward.  

·                     Jeff Hegedus  is stepping down from his role as EVP, TV Business & Legal Affairs for Skydance. Jeff is known as a selfless mentor and a steadfast colleague. I thank him for his leadership and dedication during long tenure at Skydance. 

Finance 

·                     Mel Rauch will be joining the team as Head of Finance. Previously, Mel was at Netflix, where she served as VP of EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) Content Finance & Strategy. I worked closely with Mel at Netflix for many years, where she was beloved as a creative problem solver and trusted business partner.  

·                     Reporting into Mel will be Arturo Reyes, who will transition from his current role as EVP and Global Head of Production Finance at Skydance into his new role as Head of Production Finance for PTVS.  

·                     Candice Brancazio, CFO, Paramount Media Networks, Showtime & MTVE, and Matt Hengemuhle, SVP, FP&A, will be exiting their respective roles, with Matt taking on a new remit in our Direct to Consumer business. We’re grateful for their leadership and contributions and we will be announcing a new FP&A lead for our studio soon.  

Talent & Casting 

·                     Trevor Rose will depart from his role as EVP, Head of Global Talent and Content Development for Showtime/MTVE and is moving to a leadership role in our TV Media group. With this, Tricia Wood will be expanding her role as EVP, Casting for Paramount Pictures to also oversee casting for PTVS. We believe this structure will encourage on-screen talent to work more seamlessly across our Features and Television Series.

Nickelodeon Live-Action and Awesomeness 

·                     Shauna Phelan, EVP, Head of Live Action Series, Films & Talent, Nickelodeon and Awesomeness TV will be stepping down. Shauna has been a longtime leader of the Nickelodeon and Awesomeness teams and has been pivotal in shaping those brands. Thankfully, Shauna is not going far, as we are in discussions with her about working with us as a producer on some of our most important titles. Going forward, we remain committed to creating high-quality content for kids, teens and families — building on our incredible IP, championing new ideas, and operating as one unified team.  

I know these are a lot of changes, but I am confident this new structure will strengthen collaboration, streamline decision-making, and super-charge our growth. In the coming weeks, we will continue the integration process, spending time on creative and business strategy under our new leadership team —more on that work soon.  

Finally, I want to take a moment to thank our colleagues who are transitioning out of their roles. They have each contributed enormously to our organization, and we are grateful for their leadership, partnership, and many achievements. Please join me in wishing them the very best. 

Thank you, as always, for your passion, resilience, and commitment. I cannot wait for all that we will accomplish together.  With gratitude,

Matt