Susan Wojcicki Exiting As YouTube CEO; Chief Product Officer Neal Mohan To Step Up

Jen Hollingsworth, a longtime entertainment executive most recently COO of Lionsgate’s Motion Picture Group, is the new chief commercial officer at Flawless, a growing firm specialized in generative AI technology for film and television.

was the case with Lionsgate’s “Fall,” altering lip movements to better match the re-dubbed dialogue to remove R-rated profanity to win a PG-13 rating.  Hollingsworth worked at Lionsgate for over 15 years, during which she served as COO of the Motion Picture Group, led the Finance and Content Strategy Teams, and established the Inclusive Content Team, focused on developing and implementing strategies to increase content diversity.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Flawless, a VFX company specializing in generative AI dubbing technology for film, TV and commercials, hired 15-year Lionsgate veteran Jen Hollingsworth as chief commercial officer. Hollingsworth, who most recently served as COO of Lionsgate’s motion picture group, will oversee all commercial strategy at Flawless, which has offices in L.A. and London. She reports to Nick Lynes and Scott Mann, Flawless’s co-founders and co-CEOs. Flawless, founded in 2018, originally designed its TrueSync AI-based system to provide a better dubbing solution for films translated into other languages. TrueSync creates deepfake-style effects altering the mouth movements of actors to match the alternate dialogue being spoken (a process the startup calls “vubbing”).

Bruce Vaughn is returning as chief creative officer to co-lead Walt Disney Imagineering with Barbara Bouza, president of the storied division.  

Katya Echazarreta has unveiled her Barbie doll, dressed in a navy blue flight suit. The 27-year-old role model recently made history as the first Mexican-born woman to travel to space.“At 7 years old when I used to pretend my Barbie was an Astronaut traveling through the galaxy I could never have imagined I would one day have my very own Barbie,” Katya said.

Lele Pons and Guaynaa's wedding was a star-studded event. The 26-year-old Venezuelan star and the Puerto Rican rapper tied the knot in an over-the-top ceremony on March 4 in Miami, Florida. For their nuptials, the couple was surrounded by family and friends at a gorgeous outdoor venue with flowers lining the aisle.

EXCLUSIVE: Academy Award winner Cuba Gooding Jr. (Jerry Maguire) has joined the cast of director Josh Webber’s holiday pic Athena Saves Christmas, with Christina Cooper coming aboard as producer.

wrote in a letter on Wednesday. “As I look ahead to what’s next for YouTube, I’m confident we’ll put our full energy into what matters most for creators and viewers.”One key priority for Mohan will be continuing to support YouTube creators by providing them with more ways to make money, helping them grow their communities and offering new features such as automatic and machine translated captions to broaden accessibility and the ability for viewers to remix clips of gaming content into its Shorts platform.

Neil Mohan, who took over as YouTube’s CEO last month after longtime chief Susan Wojcicki segued to an advisory role at parents Google and Alphabet, has outlined the company’s 2023 priorities.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Neal Mohan posted his first open letter to creators as YouTube’s new boss, coming after CEO Susan Wojcicki stepped down last month. Mohan, previously the video platform’s chief product officer, detailed new features and tools coming in 2023 and beyond. “Creators and artists are the heart of YouTube, and I’ll continue to put them first,” Mohan, whose new title is SVP, head of YouTube, wrote in the letter, continuing the tradition of Wojcicki’s regular updates to creators. “In today’s challenging macroeconomic climate, we’re offering opportunities to grow a business on our platform.” Wojcicki exited as CEO after nine years at the helm but will continue in a role as an adviser to Google and Alphabet. According to Mohan’s letter, he first visited YouTube’s offices 15 years ago when it was located above a pizza parlor: “In its earliest start-up days, I saw YouTube’s potential. Now, I’m incredibly excited to lead it into the future.”

Warner Bros/New Line/DC’s sequel Shazam! Fury of the Gods hit early tracking Thursday and surprised many with a low projection of $35 million, which is under the first installment’s $53.5M opening in 2019.

CNN Worldwide has tapped Otto Bell to oversee its creative marketing department.

Marta Balaga Beauty queen, rebellious daughter of the head of Portugal’s secret service, housewife fascinated by Che Guevara, fighter – “Annie” Silva Pais was many, many things. Now, she is also the subject of Portuguese period drama “Cuba Libre.”   “I have been thinking about this story for 20 years,” admits creator Henrique Oliveira ahead of its bow at Berlinale’s Series Market Selects.  “That’s when I first read an article about her in [a local newspaper] Expresso. I fell in love right away. This woman was ahead of her time.” While Oliveira, who also directs, had to wait decades to realize his dream, it actually worked out for the best, he claims. 

The perfect fit! Celebrity hairstylist Ricardo Rojas landed a role in the upcoming season of the Sex and the City spinoff And Just Like That.

, MD, a dermatologist and director of cosmetic dermatology at in Elmsford, New York.Unfortunately, even the will not be enough to address signs of aging in the eye area. The skin around the eyes also happens to be the most delicate, meaning it naturally ages faster.

publicly shared memo to employees. “The time is right for me, and I feel able to do this because we have an incredible leadership team in place at YouTube.”In addition to working on Alphabet and Google’s YouTube and DoubleClick acquisitions, Wojcicki co-created Google Image Search, led Google’s first Video and Book search and served as senior vice president of ads.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Susan Wojcicki is stepping down as CEO of YouTube after nine years — and nearly 25 years at Google, which she joined as one of its first employees back when it was in start-up mode. Wojcicki announced her departure in a memo to YouTube staff Thursday. Neal Mohan, currently chief product officer at YouTube, will replace her as SVP and new head of YouTube. “I’ve decided to step back from my role as the head of YouTube and start a new chapter focused on my family, health, and personal projects I’m passionate about,” she wrote. Wojcicki will continue to be involved with YouTube and parent company Alphabet. The exec wrote that she agreed with Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet and Google, to take on an advisory role at the internet giant. “This will allow me to call on my different experiences over the years to offer counsel and guidance across Google and the portfolio of Alphabet companies,” she wrote.

William Earl ABC Signature alum Menaka Evans has been named chief financial officer for ITV America and ITV Studios America. Evans will oversee financial planning, accounting and business operations for the wide range of production banners that fall under the umbrella of ITV Studios in the U.S. She comes to the company from ABC Signature, where she was head of finance and business planning. “Menaka brings deep experience in entertainment industry finance, as well as acute understanding of the complexities involved in producing unscripted and scripted programs in today’s content landscape,” said Philippe Maigret, ITV Studios America president and managing director and ITV America CEO David George in a joint statement. “She’s also incredibly well-versed in the cross-collaboration between U.S and UK entities, making her a unique and valuable new member of our senior teams.”

Katie Reul editor Tamara Gould has been named chief content officer for Public Media Group of Southern California, the parent company of public broadcasting outlets PBS SoCal, KCET and Link TV. In her new position, Gould will report to PMGSC president and CEO Andrew Russell. She oversees a slate of responsibilities ranging from development to delivery. Working under Gould’s purview is a team of content producers focused on magnifying stories from native SoCal communities. Gould replaces previous chief creative officer Juan Devis, who exited the stations last year. “Tamara Gould is an extraordinary talent and she brings a wealth of production experience and deep ties to public media,” Russell said, adding that Gould’s hire aligned with the company’s goal of increasing content production. “She has great skill in building strategic collaborations with both local and national partners to support independent filmmakers and is an industry-recognized leader in the world of documentary storytelling.”

Katie Reul editor Tamara Gould has been named chief content officer for Public Media Group of Southern California, the parent company of public broadcasting outlets PBS SoCal, KCET and Link TV. In her new position, Gould will report to PMGSC president and CEO Andrew Russell. She oversees a slate of responsibilities ranging from development to delivery. Working under Gould’s purview is a team of content producers focused on magnifying stories from native SoCal communities. “Tamara Gould is an extraordinary talent and she brings a wealth of production experience and deep ties to public media,” Russell said, reflecting on how Gould’s hire aligns with the company’s goal of increasing content production. “She has great skill in building strategic collaborations with both local and national partners to support independent filmmakers and is an industry-recognized leader in the world of documentary storytelling.”