Activision Blizzard Chief Legal Officer Quits as Company Battles Misconduct and Discrimination Claims

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaAlan Horn will retire as chief creative officer of Disney Studios Content, capping a successful nearly decade-long run at the Walt Disney Company. It was one that saw Horn stabilize the film operation after a tumultuous period when Rich Ross took the reins for three tumultuous years.

It is truly the end of another era at Walt Disney Studios. In a move that many were expecting, Alan Horn, 78, is retiring as Chief Creative Officer of Disney Studios Content, effective Dec. 31 after a nine-year run at the Burbank, CA lot in an executive TV and motion picture industry career that has spanned closed to 50 years.

Activision Blizzard is currently entangled in multiple lawsuits over alleged worker mistreatment, including claims there is a “frat boy culture” as well as sexist workplace practices.

China’s ‘The Battle at Lake Changjin’ was the highest grossing film anywhere in the world over the past weekend, with a $203 million haul.That score was fractionally lower than the combined total earned by “No Time to Die” ($119 million in international markets) and by “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” ($90.2 million in North America).The film was the far away winner in mainland China, where it was released on Thursday, a day ahead of the National Day holiday.

EXCLUSIVE: Lucifer and Spartacus star Lesley-Ann Brandt is partnering with Morgan Freeman and Lori McCreary’s Revelations Entertainment on the development of Hanover Street, a drama series set in Cape Town’s District Six.

Activision Blizzard since July, here’s a catch up of everything going on within the company in recent months.Legal troubles for Activision Blizzard started when the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing submitted a lawsuit against the company on July 20, 2021.At the heart of the lawsuit are allegations that Activision Blizzard is rife with a “frat boy workplace culture” that act as “a breeding ground for harassment and discrimination against women”.

a lawsuit filed Monday, also agreed to strengthen policies and programs to prevent harassment and discrimination and develop software and training programs to improve workplace policies and practices for employers across the technology industry, it said.“There is no place anywhere at our company for discrimination, harassment, or unequal treatment of any kind,” Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick said in a statement. “And I am grateful to the employees who bravely shared their experiences.

Activision Blizzard has another government lawsuit on its plate, with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) suing the Call of Duty, Overwatch and World of Warcraft publisher for workplace harassment and discrimination on Monday.

Mark Ciardi is joining sports content studio, game1, as the company’s President & Chief Content Officer. His mandate is to aggressively expand both the scripted and unscripted division of game1, as well as focusing on the company’s growing list of athlete and team partnerships, podcasts, branded content, and the burgeoning NIL space.

Movie theater advertising network National CineMedia has named former Allen Media Group executive Ronnie Ng as chief financial officer.

Gospel singer Kelly Price has been reported as missing in Georgia following a recent battle with COVID-19, according to TMZ. Cobb County officials listed the singer, 48, as a missing person on Friday, Sept. 24 after they conducted a welfare check last weekend, per the outlet. While authorities found “no evidence of foul play” during the welfare check, Kelly is now registered under the National Crime Information Center.

Activision Blizzard has confirmed that Chacko Sonny, executive producer of Overwatch, is leaving the company this week.As reported by Bloomberg, Sonny is leaving Blizzard on Friday (September 24).

EXCLUSIVE: Johnny Gould, who was previously chief creative officer at Craig Piligian’s Pilgrim Media Group, has set up his own unscripted production company, backed by 3BMG.

Disney Branded Television President and Chief Creative Officer Gary Marsh is stepping down after 33 years with the company.

Activision Blizzard is being investigated by the U.S Securities and Exchange Commission following allegations of sexual harassment and workplace misconduct.The latest report comes from The Wall Street Journal where it was reported that the SEC has subpoenaed the company along with several current and former employees – including CEO Bobby Kotick – following the publisher’s handling of the lawsuit filed by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing in July.SEC is reportedly looking

Call of Duty: Mobile Season 8 launches on Wednesday, September 22 at 1AM BST and players will be able to revisit the very first Call of Duty Battle Royale map – Blackout.To celebrate the second anniversary of Call of Duty: Mobile, Season 8 will introduce Blackout, a map first seen in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4.

MRC has named former Shondaland VP of Brand Marketing and Communications Kristin Robinson the media company’s new SVP of Communications, while elevating Emily Spence to Chief Communications Officer.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterMRC has promoted Emily Spence to the role of chief communications officer, with Kristin Robinson also joining the company as senior vice president of communications.In her new role, Robinson will oversee external communications across MRC’s portfolio of television, film, non-fiction and live/alternative programming.