Estrella Media Hires NBCUniversal’s Enrique Guillen As New Chief Content Officer

The late Anne Heche‘s 20-year-old son Homer has filed new legal documents in his battle against her ex James Tupper.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Crooked Media is looking to take its progressive-politics podcast empire to the next level. The L.A.-based media company, which produces more than 30 podcasts including the flagship “Pod Save America,” has hired Lucinda Treat, chief legal officer at Vice Media Group for the last four years, as its first CEO. Crooked Media also announced an investment from Soros Fund Management, the investment firm founded by billionaire George Soros, which is taking a minority stake in Crooked. Crooked Media didn’t disclose the amount of funding it received from Soros Fund Management, which represents its first outside financing. The company remains majority owned by founders and “Pod Save America” co-hosts Jon Lovett, Jon Favreau and Tommy Vietor.

EXCLUSIVE: Buchwald is bolstering its unscripted efforts with the hire of Ivo Fischer as Head of Unscripted Talent and Content. Fischer will also focus on Buchwald’s relationships with talent, as well as content creators and producers in the unscripted space.

Michaela Zee editor Trioscope has hired Kyle Hoedl as chief marketing officer and Joe Snowden as chief operating officer, Variety has learned exclusively. “Both Kyle and Joe embody the acumen, energy and long-term vision that’s needed to scale our slate and catapult the company to the next level,” L.C. Crowley, co-founder and CEO of Trioscope, said in a statement. “Their hires are cornerstone to Trioscope’s evolution as a high-growth brand and business within a hyper-competitive global industry.” Hoedl will lead marketing and communications for the company’s business sectors, including Trioscope Studios and Trioscope Platform. Previously, Hoedl led marketing and digital content strategy for Trioscope and Quality Films’ “Takeover,” an action thriller film starring Quavo, Billy Zane and Serayah, as well as conceptualized the Web3-enabled virtual world “Takeover World.”

Ken Barker, the principal accounting officer at Netflix, has resigned from the company just three months after he arrived.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Ryan Spicer, after more than 14 years with WarnerMedia and Turner Broadcasting, is joining Atmosphere, which operates a national out-of-home streaming news and entertainment network, to lead ad sales in the role of chief revenue officer. Most recently, Spicer served as VP of sales and partnerships for WarnerMedia Digital, which is now part of Warner Bros. Discovery, covering the CNN Digital portfolio as well as the HBO Max with ads streaming platform. Prior to joining Turner Digital in 2008, he worked as a sales exec at MTV Networks. At Atmosphere, Spicer reports to chief operating officer Blake Sabatinelli. Spicer officially started in the role on Sept. 6.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Common Sense Networks has promoted Sharon Kroll Cohen to serve as chief marketing officer of the company, which operates the kids streaming service Sensical. She previously served as VP of marketing for Sensical, a job she has held since December 2021. Kroll will continues to report to Common Sense Networks CEO Eric Berger, who announced the elevation on Monday. “Sharon has been instrumental in the trajectory of Sensical’s success and by extension, the success of Common Sense Networks,” Berger said. “She is an exceptionally talented, strategic, and results-driven executive whose contributions and vision have been essential to our work in redefining digital experiences for kids.”

Diane Weyermann’s impact continues to be felt throughout the documentary field, with her presence evident on some of the fall’s most talked about nonfiction films, including Laura Poitras’s All the Beauty and the Bloodshed and Steve James’s A Compassionate Spy.

EXCLUSIVE: There probably has been no other division of WarnerMedia more impacted by the Discovery merger than the TNets, which consist of TNT, TBS and TruTV. In the span of a couple of months after the transaction was completed, they got new leadership, with Discovery’s Kathleen Finch adding them to her portfolio, while the previous toppers exited: General Manager Brett Weitz, SVP Original Programming Adrienne O’Riain, and unscripted chief Corie Henson.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Michele Golden has been hired as Imax’s global chief people officer. In her new role, she will oversee the entertainment technology company’s human resources, recruiting, talent management, and diversity, equity and inclusion divisions. Golden will report directly to Imax CEO Rich Gelfond and chief legal officer Rob Lister and be based in the company’s New York office. “Michele is a world-class human resources executive with deep experience in guiding some of the most recognizable brands in media and entertainment, building successful teams and navigating sweeping change,” Gelfond said in a statement. “As Imax seeks to build its global technology platform and foster a new era of growth for the Company, we are very excited to have Michele’s leadership in further strengthening our global teams, workplace, and culture.”

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Kim Kelleher added oversight of distribution revenue to her portfolio at AMC Networks, a substantial enlargement of her duties at the content company that was recently put under the aegis of a new CEO. Kelleher, who will continue to supervise advertising sales and partnerships, has been named chief commercial officer of the company, best known for its flagship cable network and influential series like “Better Call Saul” and “The Walking Dead.” “A cohesive, forward-looking commercial revenue team that has responsibility for all of our valuable partner relationships across advertisers, affiliates and new digital platforms makes strong strategic sense and Kim is the perfect executive to lead it,” said Christina Spade, who was recently named CEO of AMC Networks, in a statement. “She has brought her own unique talent, ingenuity and dynamic leadership to our commercial revenue group. We are thrilled to apply her abilities to an even more comprehensive role to drive the company’s top-line growth.” Kelleher will report to Spade.

Paul “Triple H” Levesque has been promoted to Chief Content Officer for the WWE.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Altice USA is making changes at the top: The cable operator announced that it has recruited Comcast veteran Dennis Mathew as CEO. Matthew takes over effective Oct. 3, assuming the CEO role from Dexter Goei, who has been named executive chairman of the board of directors. All of Goei’s direct reports will report to Mathew. Altice USA founder and current chairman Patrick Drahi will remain a director on the board. The No. 4 U.S. cable operator said it made the move to hire a new CEO “given Mr. Goei’s intention to return to Europe with his family.” Goei has worked for France’s Altice since 2009, leading the telecom company’s entry into the U.S. market through the acquisitions of Cablevision Systems and Suddenlink Communications, which now comprise Altice USA.

WWE has named Paul “Triple H” Levesque its new chief content officer and chief financial officer Frank A. Riddick III will assume the role of president and CFO, the company announced in Tuesday’s second-quarter earnings report.

As it continues to navigate new corporate waters in the wake of longtime CEO Vince McMahon’s scandal-shrouded retirement in July, WWE Corp. has promoted two of its top executives.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor WWE exec and pro wrestler Paul “Triple H” Levesque has officially taken the title of chief content officer, and he’s also received a salary raise along with three other top company execs. In addition, the company said it promoted chief financial officer Frank Riddick to the position of president, where he will continue in his role as CFO. WWE disclosed the exec info in an SEC filing Friday. The changes come after Vince McMahon, formerly WWE’s chairman and CEO, resigned from the company on July 22, amid an investigation by the board of directors into misconduct allegations.