By Jaspreet Singh
Nov 3 (Reuters) – Skydance, the media giant that merged Paramount-Skydance with Warner Bros. Discovery last month, named Sarah Bergman and Mickey Carter to lead its distribution business, as eight executives are set to leave the company following the takeover, according to a memo sent on Tuesday and reviewed by Reuters.
The memo, sent by Ray Hopkins, Skydance’s president of distribution, said the new leadership team would work on the structure of their respective organizations in the coming weeks.
The departures include four executives from Warner Bros. Discovery: Rivka Golomb, Kelly Kane, Jeff Cross and Rich Palermo. The other four — David Comisar, Kurt Davis, Deena Demasi and Ken Kay — hail from the Paramount side of the company.
The memo also named seven Paramount and Warner Bros. executives to key leadership roles under Bergman and Carter. Distribution is focused on cutting deals with cable and satellite operators, TV stations and streaming platforms to carry its content. After Paramount-Skydance completed its $110 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, the combined entity was named Skydance. The company did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Skydance, led by David Ellison, is looking to achieve at least $6 billion in planned savings, while managing roughly $80 billion in combined debt at a time when Hollywood is being reshaped by the rise in streaming and industry consolidation.
Bergman is currently executive vice president of networks and streaming distribution for Warner Bros. Discovery, while Carter is executive vice president of US distribution for Paramount, according to their LinkedIn pages.
Jeff Cross, current EVP of legal, distribution and commercial partnerships, will also leave the organization, but will remain as senior advisor to the distribution business. His duties will be taken over by Paramount EVP, deputy general counsel for distribution business and legal affairs, Rick Baker.
Last month, Skydance offered some employees a one-time voluntary buyout. The company is expected to have about 53,000 employees, according to annual filings of Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery from 2025.
(Reporting by Jaspreet Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by David Gregorio)
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