Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Warner Bros. Discovery streaming comms senior vice president Chris Willard is exiting the company to pursue other interests after 14 years working with the HBO team, Variety has learned.
13.07.2023 - 19:33 / variety.com
Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large The dark prince of the unscripted world is plotting his next chapter: Mike Darnell is exiting Warner Bros. Television Group after a decade with the studio, a move he decided to make after a restructuring would have altered his role at the company. Darnell, who had served as president of unscripted television for Warner Bros., and Warner Bros. Television Group chairman/CEO Channing Dungey were set to announce the change on Thursday. As part of the new structure, Darnell won’t be replaced; instead, the alternative and unscripted divisions that reported to Darnell will now report directly to Dungey. Darnell had a year left in his current contract with the studio.
“Letting yourself go is always difficult…I took a deep breath, called myself on Zoom and told myself it was time to leave,” Darnell said in a statement, in his usual unique style. “I took it surprisingly well,” he quipped.
“Actually, Channing approached me a couple of months ago, and although I was given the opportunity to stay… it would have meant more changes for both my personal deal and to the general structure of the division,” Darnell added in his ellipses-filled statement. “Call it fate, or just good timing, during my discussions with Channing, a couple of new ventures have come my way… Even so, deciding to leave was difficult. (Those who know me know I am not a fan of change.) I want to thank my amazing studio team. I am, of course, going to miss everybody…not the least of which is Channing… I couldn’t ask for a more supportive boss, first class all the way.” Darnell joined Warner Bros. in 2013 after a legendary 18-year run at Fox, where his reputation was cemented as the reality kingpin behind TV phenomenon
Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Warner Bros. Discovery streaming comms senior vice president Chris Willard is exiting the company to pursue other interests after 14 years working with the HBO team, Variety has learned.
Warner Bros. U.S. has deleted “Barbenheimer” tweets after being criticized by Warner Bros. Japan.
Barbenheimer memes that feature atom bomb images.The apology follows Warner Bros. Japan calling its US counterpart’s behaviour “extremely regrettable”, and also said sorry to fans on its behalf.The Barbenheimer craze, which has resulted in millions around the world watching the two blockbusters Barbie and Oppenheimer back-to-back in an ironic double bill dubbed “Barbenheimer”, has drawn criticism in Japan for making light of the mass destruction caused by the atomic Bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.The Barbie US Twitter account (@barbiethemovie) responded to one Barbenheimer fan art poster that depicts Margot Robbie’s Barbie sitting on the shoulders of Cillian Murphy’s J.
A property in Stockport which plagued residents with 'serious antisocial behaviour' for over 10 years has now been closed down.
she said. “And I just wish, obviously, I never got them done to begin with.”The Post has reached out to Jenner’s reps for comment.Her story now is a far cry from her past denials, where she shut down a fan who asked if she had gone under the knife for a boob job.“Um never,” she responded during the 2019 Twitter Q&A, two years after she claims to have undergone the procedure.
Kylie Jenner is opening up about the work she's had done after years of denials. On this week's season finale of, the 25-year-old makeup mogul speaks to her friend, Anastasia «Stassie» Karanikolaou, about a series of rumors. After discussing the circulating rumor that she and Stassie were romantically involved after they were spotted making out during the holidays («It would just make life so much easier if I were sexually attracted to you!»), Kylie went on to drop a bomb about her plastic surgery enhancements.
Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large As this year’s broadcast partner, Fox ultimately must decide when the 75th Primetime Emmys will actually air. And the feeling inside the network is that it should be January. As we’ve previously reported, the TV Academy would prefer an earlier date, like November, and I have to agree there.
“Barbie” continues to heat up the box office after a blockbuster opening weekend that soared far beyond initial predictions.
EXCLUSIVE: Lisa Collins is Warner Bros. Discovery’s new Group Vice President, overseeing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion employee initiatives across North America. She will report to Chief DEI Officer Asif Sadiq.
Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Come on, Barbie, let’s go make (more) box office history. Greta Gerwig’s plastic, fantastic “Barbie” added $26 million on Monday, resulting in the best Monday gross in Warner Bros. history.
David McGuire, EVP of Programming & Development for Telepictures, subsidiary of Warner Bros. Television Group, is exiting after more than 30 years with the company.
Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Telepictures exec VP of programming and development David McGuire, one of the architects behind the success of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” is exiting the Warner Bros. TV Group division after more than 30 years with the company. McGuire’s exit comes following the departure of Warner Bros. Unscripted TV president Mike Darnell, and a restructuring inside the company. As part of the changes, Telepictures current programming senior VP Lauren Blincoe will now solely oversee the division and report directly to Warner Bros. TV Group chairman and CEO Channing Dungey. McGuire most recently was in charge of the launch of “The Jennifer Hudson Show.” His oversight included all aspects of creative affairs for first-run syndicated series, unscripted series and digital content developed and produced at Telepictures, as well as working with advertisers on partnerships through its integration business. Annually, Telepictures handles more than 1,000 hours of TV across multiple genres.
Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Unless you’ve been trapped in a plastic toy box, there’s no escaping the Barbie-core movement that’s sweeping the globe — and potentially contributing a nationwide shortage of the color pink. The marketing department at Warner Bros. has been working in overdrive to entice the masses for Greta Gerwig’s cotton candy-colored fantasy “Barbie,” which has been all but inescapable this summer. A key factor has been a dizzying array of partnerships with products that range from a bright fuchsia Xbox (for STEM Barbie) to this $1,350 Balmain cropped hoodie (for Disposable Income Barbie). And that’s only scratching the surface of the brands that helped propel the movie to cultural touchstone status before arriving in theaters on July 21. In Malibu, there’s a real-life Barbie Dreamhouse that’s bookable through Airbnb. There’s also a themed boat cruise that’s setting sail in the Boston area.
Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large KVEA is clearly doing something right. The Telemundo-owned Los Angeles station, part of a duopoly with sister NBC outlet KNBC, swept this year’s key newscast categories at the 75th Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards. The Spanish language station dominated the evening, winning the Emmys for evening (7 p.m. to 12 a.m.), daytime (11 a.m. to 7 p.m.) and morning (4 a.m. to 11 a.m.) newscasts. KVEA had won the daytime newscast Emmy last year as well (while KTLA won evening, and KNBC won morning, in 2022). Overall, KVEA earned eight L.A. Area Emmy awards this year, tied with local public broadcaster KCET. (That was also up from KCET’s haul of six last year.) Given the tie with KVEA, that still preserves KCET’s streak of this being the seventh year in a row that KCET won the most.
As the SAG-AFTRA strike begins its second week, there’s no indication that negotiations will resume between that guild or the WGA with AMPTP any time soon. And that’s bad news for studios, as actors on strike will begin not only to affect the production of new work, but the premieres of upcoming schedule films.
The studios are putting on a united front when it comes to the striking scribes and actors, but Warner Bros Discovery and Paramount Global dust-up over who really has the streaming rights to Eric Cartman and the South Park gang shows no signs of settling down.
Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Variety’s Awards Circuit Podcast hosts Michael Schneider, Clayton Davis, Emily Longeretta and Jazz Tangcay gathered on Wednesday, just hours after the Television Academy announced this year’s Emmy nominations, to dissect the news — from the big winners like “Succession,” to the shocking omissions (no Harrison Ford or Elizabeth Olsen), and then the nice surprises (wow, “Jury Duty”!). The nominations were telling on a number of fronts — including the current assessment that we may very well see a beat “Succession”/”Ted Lasso” dominance. Did the voting procedural changes help bring in a wider group of nominees? No. And will voters pick straight tickets of “Succession” and “Ted Lasso” nominees? Quite possible. Who will win the “SNL”/”Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” smackdown? What are our favorite faceoffs this year? (How can one pick between birthday celebrations for Norman Lear and Carol Burnett, for example?)
It’s a good day for Selena Quintanilla‘s loved ones.
Mike Darnell, the preeminent — and most colorful — unscripted TV executive over the past couple of decades, will be leaving his post as President Of Unscripted Television for Warner Bros. after 10 years at the studio.
Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group has appointed Katie Martin Kelley as executive VP of communications. Martin Kelley, who joins from MGM, will lead media relations and corporate communications for the film group, including Warner Bros. Pictures, New Line Cinema and the newly rebranded Warner Bros. Pictures Animation. DC Studios will fall under the purview of Candice McDonough, who previously led communications for Warner Bros. Film Group and has been newly hired to oversee publicity efforts for the company’s comic book division. Martin Kelley will report to Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy, co-chairs and CEOs of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group.