Michael P. O’Leary Named CEO and President of National Association of Theatre Owners

Studio executive Sherry Lansing, TriStar’s Dr. Jennifer Turner, Hallmark Media’s Wonya Lucas, Apple’s Rita Cooper Lee, and the documentary A Tree of Life: The Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting will be among this year’s honorees of The African American Film Critics Association at the association’s 6th Annual AAFCA Special Achievement Awards Luncheon on Saturday, April 8 at the California Yacht Club in Marina Del Rey.

Angelique Jackson CAA has signed rising British star Rosy McEwen.  The actor, who was not previously represented in the U.S., will be represented by the agency in all areas.  McEwen will next be seen opposite Julia Garner in Paramount Players’ “Apartment 7A.” The mysterious new psychological thriller, which is speculated to be connected to “Rosemary’s Baby,” is produced by John Krasinski and Allyson Seeger (for Sunday Night), along with Michael Bay, Andrew Form and Brad Fuller (through Platinum Dunes). The project is directed by Natalie Erika James. She is best known for playing Libby Hatch in “The Alienist.” The TNT limited series, which is based on the best-selling novel by Caleb Carr and starred Dakota Fanning, Daniel Brühl and Luke Evans.

EXCLUSIVE: CAA on Tuesday announced its signing of Allison Janney — the Academy Award-winning actress who has also been recognized over the course of her career with six Emmys, a Golden Globe, 7 SAG Awards, 2 Critics’ Choice Awards, a BAFTA, an Independent Spirit Award and other accolades.

There’s been a new development in the handling of Lisa Marie Presley‘s estate.

CAA is kicking off Oscars weekend with a star-studded-party!

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Michael P. O’Leary certainly has a tough act to follow. He’s taking over as president and CEO of the National Association of Theatre Owners from John Fithian, who has been a major force for two decades as the top lobbyist for the exhibition industry. And, he’s assuming the job at a trying time for the movie theater industry, which was battered by — and has yet to fully recover from — the pandemic. Attendance and ticket sales haven’t returned to pre-COVID levels and major theater chains, including the CineWorld-owned Regal have been forced to file for bankruptcy, while roughly 2,000 screens across the industry have shuttered. Exhibitors that stayed in business have suffered from a supply shortage.

Brent Lang Executive Editor There’s a leadership shakeup at Anonymous Content, the Oscar and Emmy-winning media company behind “Spotlight” and “True Detective.” Dawn Olmstead and Heather McCauley have resigned abruptly from their roles as CEO and COO, the company said. “Thanks to Dawn’s contributions, the company is in a strong position, and we are confident that our team, values and talent will continue to thrive,” the board of Anonymous Content said in a statement. “Dawn has been a valued leader for the past two years and we wish her and Heather the best of luck in their future endeavors.” No reason was given for the exits, but it comes as a surprise, particularly given Olmstead’s deep relationships within Hollywood. Her departure may have something to do with a disagreement over the company’s decision to settle with Keith Redmon, a long-time executive who was fired from Anonymous Content in 2021. He later sued his former employer for breach of contract, claiming that he was owed “millions” in unpaid compensation and from a stake in “Schitt’s Creek.”

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor SoundCloud has named Eliah Seton chief executive officer, effective immediately. He succeeds Michael Weissman, who joined the streamer in 2017, has served as CEO since 2021 and is departing for a new opportunity. Seton joined SoundCloud in 2021 as president, overseeing the Creator and Roster operating divisions as well as strategy, M&A, content partnerships, business development, and distribution and artist partnerships. In that role, he has been instrumental in refocusing the business on deepening the relationship between its artists and fans through new economic models, products and tools. The company also announced that Fred Wilson, founder of Union Square Ventures and member of SoundCloud’s board since 2011, has been appointed as the new chairman of the board. Wilson succeeds SoundCloud Founder Alexander Ljung who served as CEO from 2007-2017 and chairman from 2017-2022. Ljung will assume a new role as chairman emeritus of the SoundCloud board, continue to serve as a board member and will also remain closely engaged and available to the company’s management team and employees going forward.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Taylor Sheridan’s upcoming Paramount+ series “Lioness” has cast Bassem Youssef in a guest starring role, Variety has learned exclusively. Youssef will now appear in a cast that includes Zoe Saldaña, Laysla De Oliveira, Dave Annable, Jill Wagner, LaMonica Garrett, James Jordan, Austin Hébert, Jonah Wharton, Stephanie Nur, Hannah Love Lanier, Michael Kelly, Morgan Freeman, and Nicole Kidman. The official logline states that the show “is based on a real-life CIA program and follows Cruz Manuelos (De Oliveira), a rough-around-the-edges but passionate young Marine recruited to join the CIA’s Lioness Engagement Team to help bring down a terrorist organization from within.”

Former Paramount Television Studios executive Jenna Santoianni has joined MRC as President of Television. She will replace Elise Henderson who is leaving the company after a four-year stint. The personnel change comes on the heels of Scott Tenley’s elevation to CEO as part of a new executive structure the studio announced last week, with co-founders Modi Wiczyk and Asif Satchu assuming the new roles of Chairmen. (Jonathan Golfman and Brye Adler continue as co-Presidents of Film and Amit Dey as Head of Non-Fiction.)

The Movie Academy has padded the presenter ranks for the 95th Oscars this weekend. Halle Bailey, Antonio Banderas, Elizabeth Banks, Jessica Chastain, John Cho, Andrew Garfield, Hugh Grant, Danai Gurira, Salma Hayek Pinault, Nicole Kidman, Florence Pugh and Sigourney Weaver will present statuettes Sunday.

Naman Ramachandran Netflix and the U.K.’s National Youth Theatre have launch an awareness program after a survey revealed alarming concerns about nepotism in the creative industries. A National Youth Theatre survey of 3,000 young people across the U.K. found that the “nepo-baby” effect extended beyond on screen talent to behind the scenes roles too. Some 79% of young people believed they need connections rather than talent and determination to make it and a further two-thirds (68%) thought they needed to live in a big city to have a career in TV or film. To alleviate these concerns, IGNITE Your Creativity, a free program from Netflix and the National Youth Theatre, aims to help young people build networks and raise awareness about the wide range of behind the scenes careers in film, TV and theatre. The program will support 500 young people aged 14-25 years in South Wales, West Yorkshire and the Northeast of the country.

The “Nepo baby” effect has been laid bare in the UK by Netflix/National Youth Theatre research that showed the vast majority of respondents believe connections rather than talent are required to make it big.

Sonic The Hedgehog 2 was named Favorite Movie at the 2023 Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards tonight. Other big winners include Wednesday as Favorite Family TV Show, and its star Jenna Ortega as Favorite Female TV Star (Family), along with kid-fave SpongeBob Squarepants as Favorite Animated Show and Stranger Things alum Millie Brown Brown, who scored the Favorite Movie Actress award for Enola Holmes, and Enola Holmes 2. The Fairly OddParents: Fairly Odder landed the top Favorite Kids TV Show honor. See the full list below.

As it gets set to reveal plans for the likely separation of Starz and the Lionsgate movie and TV studio, Lionsgate has re-upped two key members of its management team: Vice Chairman Michael Burns and COO Brian Goldsmith.

EXCLUSIVE: Fox Entertainment has announced the names of the five Fellows for the 2023 Fox Writers Incubator (FWI), an initiative designed to nurture diverse and creative voices, as well as provide training to five writers of all genres, including comedy, drama and animation.

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Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large As former The CW chairman and CEO Mark Pedowitz gets back into the production business, he has sign on with CAA for representation, the tenpercentary announced on Thursday. Pedowitz has revived his shingle, Pine Street Entertainment, which is represented by CAA as part of the arrangement. Pedowitz announced his departure from The CW in October, following Nexstar Media Group’s acquisition of the network from its previous joint operators CBS and Warner Bros. (Those two entities maintain minority stakes in The CW, but Nexstar is now the majority owner and operator.) In reviving Pine Street Entertainment, Pedowitz is bringing back his independent production company that produced CBS’ “The Crazy Ones” (starring Sarah Michelle Gellar and Robin Williams), as well as a number of development projects.

K.J. Yossman “Aftersun” star Paul Mescal and “Killing Eve’s” Jodie Comer are among those nominated for Olivier Awards, the U.K.’s top theater awards. Mescal has been nominated for Best Actor for his role in “A Streetcar Named Desire” while Comer is up for “Best Actress” for her turn in legal drama “Prima Facie.” “My Neighbour Totoro,” the stage adaptation of Studio Ghibli’s animated classic, received the most noms, scoring nine, including for Best Director and Best Actress. The awards, which will be hosted by “Ted Lasso” star Hannah Waddingham, are set to take place on April 2 at the Royal Albert Hall in London. They will be broadcast on ITV.

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