Seven Executives Exit as JB Perrette Unveils Skydance Leadership Team

JB Perrette, co-chair and chief business officer of Skydance TV and Skydance Direct-to-Consumer, has confirmed the departure of seven executives from the merged company: Dan Barnes, Michael Bishara, Jamie Cooke, Domenic DiMeglio, Marco Nobili, Pank Patel and Juan Sola. Perrette announced the exits and his full leadership structure in a memo to staff on Thursday.

The departing executives span both legacy companies. On the Warner Bros. Discovery side, Barnes was head of global advertising revenue for HBO Max; Bishara was exec VP and general manager of global streaming and digital studios; Cooke was exec VP and GM of Central Eastern Europe, Middle East, Turkey and Africa; and Sola was head of streaming for Latin America. On the Paramount side, DiMeglio was exec VP, chief marketing and chief data officer at Paramount Streaming; Nobili was exec VP and international general manager of Paramount+; and Patel was head of Paramount International Networks.

"Their work has been instrumental to the success of the DTC and/or TV businesses, and I am incredibly grateful for their efforts throughout their impressive tenures," Perrette wrote. "Please join me in wishing them all the best on their next endeavors."

Who is staying — and reporting to whom?

Perrette, previously WBD's CEO/president of global streaming and games, had already named three direct reports: Jay Askanasi (Advertising), Ray Hopkins (Distribution) and David Decker (Content Sales). The memo adds a global team:

• Jeff Cusson, EVP and Head of Communications, Skydance DTC, with a shared reporting line to Perrette, Casey and Mel Zukerman, Chief Communications Officer, Skydance.
• Shauna Spenley, CMO, Global DTC and International TV, absorbing the teams of Sola and DiMeglio.
• Trey Turner, COO, International, taking on Patel's strategy team plus Louis Goldstein, Vanessa Brookman, Lee Hobbs and Myriam Lopez-Otazu.
• Josh Walker, COO, DTC and CFO, DTC, picking up Rodrigo Mazon and most of Bishara's team.
• Liz Wright, CFO, Skydance TV Segment, reporting to Skydance CFO Dennis Cinelli.
• A head of Pluto/AVOD, to be named after a search of internal and external candidates; Olivier Jollet, Will Gurman and Kevin Kroll will report to that role.

Regionally, four leaders report to Perrette: Andrew Georgiou as interim President & MD Europe & Africa; James Gibbons, President & MD APAC & MENA; Kasia Kieli, President & MD Poland; and Fernando Medin, President and MD LATAM/U.S. Hispanic.

Georgiou will take a role outside the company next year but has agreed to manage the transition while a replacement is sought. Under him: Alessandro Araimo (MD Southern Europe, adding Turkey and Africa), Qaisar Rafique (EVP Commercial Development), Reemah Sakaan (adding UK & Ireland to her Channel 5 role) and Christina Sulebakk (Nordics, Benelux, GSA).

What else changes in the merger shake-up?

Ronald Goes, formerly President of International TV Production at Warner Bros. Discovery, now reports to Warner Bros. TV Group chair Channing Dungey, adding Skydance's international TV production to her oversight. Goes previously reported to Gerhard Zeiler, Warner Bros. International president, who is not joining Skydance. Efrain Miron is stepping away from the DTC organization to explore other opportunities within the company. Leah Hooper, Regional Streaming Lead for Europe, returns from maternity leave in January.

Perrette conceded the structure is provisional. "Despite our best efforts, there will undoubtedly be further clarifications and refinements that need to be made, particularly within sub-teams that will need to be more specifically realigned to this new structure," he wrote.

He also acknowledged the human cost: "I fully appreciate the continued and unfortunate anxiety and distraction that this process causes." His stated ambition is a portfolio of DTC and TV assets that works "better and more powerfully together," serving as "the cash, profit and revenue growth engine for the company."

What does this change for the business?

Not much yet, by Perrette's own admission. The chart may be settled; the sub-teams are not. The memo promises speed and pragmatism in coming weeks — promises a merger of this scale has a habit of testing.