Triple H Named WWE’s Chief Content Officer, Gets Salary Bump in Wake of Vince McMahon Exit

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.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Yara Shahidi will kick it with celebrity peers in a new show premiering on Facebook Watch later this month. The actor, model, activist and self-proclaimed “music nerd” — best known for starring on “Black-ish” and “Grown-ish” — stars in and executive produces Facebook Watch original series “Yara Shahidi’s Day Off.” In each episode, Shahidi will participate in a range of activities with her celeb guests that reflect “their authentic interests outside of their fame,” spanning horseback riding, gymnastics, golfing, soccer and game night. “Yara Shahidi’s Day Off” premieres Thursday, Sept. 29, at 9 a.m. PT, on Facebook Watch, Shahidi’s Facebook page (2.2 million followers) and her Instagram page (7.6 million followers).

his high-profile scandal, but it’s possible he’ll be making a temporary return in the coming months. While the company definitely isn’t planning to re-instate the ex-CEO back into the company — okay, there are no definites — plans are reportedly being discussed to celebrate him in a major way in 2023.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor The controversial defamation case between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard is the subject of a new movie, “Hot Take: The Depp/Heard Trial,” set to debut exclusively on the free Tubi streaming service. The film stars Mark Hapka (“Parallels,” “Days of Our Lives”) as Depp and Megan Davis (“Alone in the Dark”) as Heard. It’s set to premiere Friday, Sept. 30, on Fox’s Tubi. Melissa Marty (“Station 19”) will join Hapka and Davis as Depp’s lawyer Camille Vasquez and Mary Carrig (“Law & Order True Crime”) will portray as Heard’s lawyer, Elaine Bredehoft. “Hot Take” follows the tumultuous relationship — in and out of court — of Depp and Heard, dramatizing the two-month defamation trial that concluded June 1, with the jury finding that Heard had defamed Depp by alluding to domestic violence allegations against him in a December 2018 op-ed piece. The jury also held Depp liable for a defamatory statement made about Heard by his lawyer.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Lil Nas X is adding a new line to his résumé: president of “League of Legends.” Riot Games announced that the Grammy-winning, genre-busting rapper/singer/songwriter has come on board with the honorary title of president of the “League of Legends” multiplayer battle game. In this role, starting with the 2022 League of Legends World Championship esports tournament, Lil Nas X will be responsible for “creating explosive musical moments,” including a live performance for the game’s 180 million monthly players and fans, as well as a new League champion skin. “I felt like it was time for me to try something new,” Lil Nas X said in a statement. “I’ve left my mark on pop culture in so many ways, and now it’s time to take on the world of gaming. I will be the greatest President of League of Legends, of all time. Also I’m going to make the best Worlds anthem of all time and put on the biggest, coolest, sexiest Worlds in the history of all Worlds!” He aded, “’Star Walkin’ is the only song anyone is allowed to listen to from now on. Swag fr!”

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor WhatApp, the popular messaging app owned by tech giant Meta, is bowing its first original entertainment project later this month — a short film featuring NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo. Antetokounmpo, born in Greece to Nigerian parents, was named the 2021 NBA All-Star MVP and led the Milwaukee Bucks to the NBA Finals title that year. In the 12-minute film, titled “Naija Odyssey,” the pro basketballer “tells his origin story of many origins as he reconciles his roots, birthplace and sense of belonging between cross-cultural worlds,” according to WhatsApp’s description. The athlete inked an endorsement deal with WhatsApp in February of this year.

the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Social media users noticed a square object protruding from under Meghan's black dress, and several of those same Twitter users immediately felt the Duchess was wearing a secret microphone.According to the bizarre theory, Meghan was nefariously recording conversations and information for her Netflix series. A source close to Meghan said there's not an ouch of truth to the claim. "This is insane and actually damaging to her.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Is the show going to be over for Showtime? Paramount Global is having “early” discussions about shutting down Showtime as a standalone service and migrating Showtime’s slate of premium content into its flagship streamer, Paramount+, according to a Wall Street Journal report, citing anonymous sources. Paramount has “broached the idea” of shuttering Showtime in talks with “at least one major pay-TV partner,” per the report. In a statement, Paramount did not directly address the question of whether Showtime will continue long-term as a separate service. “We are always exploring options to maximize the value of our content investment by giving consumers access to great Paramount content through an array of services and platforms,” a company rep said in a statement to Variety.

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.”

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Estrella Media has hired former NBCUniversal exec Enrique Guillen to serve as the company’s new chief content officer. Guillen will report to Estrella Media CEO Peter Markham and be based in Burbank. At Estella Media, Guillen will oversee U.S. domestic and global content strategy for the company’s TV, streaming, digital, audio, events and digital businesses, including developing, producing, and acquiring all television and film content, overseeing network and station programming, news, sports, digital content, and studio productions. He’ll also handle international distribution of Estrella Media content. “Enrique brings impeccable credentials as a leading executive in global content development and distribution, and he is a perfect fit to help our company accelerate our leadership position,” said Markham. “We look forward to Enrique taking a prominent role in helping us plot our next phase of growth as the changes taking place in our industry present unprecedented opportunities for Estrella Media.”

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Roku unveiled a software update to its streaming operating system — OS 11.5 — that among other features will introduce a new section on its streaming devices called “The Buzz,” stocked with short-form promotional content from entertainment partners. The goal: to provide another entry point for users to discover and watch new TV shows and movies. On the hardware side, the company is launching minimal changes to its product family for the 2022 holiday shopping season, with upgraded models of the Roku Express entry-level streaming player and its wireless subwoofer (now called Roku Wireless Bass). In addition to The Buzz, Roku OS 11.5 will add two “significant updates” to its What to Watch feature — a Continue Watching option and an expanded platform-wide Save List — along with updates to Roku Voice, expanding Bluetooth private listening to be compatible with the Roku Ultra, Roku Streambar and Roku Streambar Pro; the addition of categories to the Live TV Channel Guide and a redesigned, “more visual” Roku Store section.

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.

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 Meghan Markle continued her reign atop Spotify’s podcast charts worldwide for the second week in a row, as the Duchess of Sussex’s “Archetypes” continues to attract a robust listenership. As of Friday, “Archetypes” ranked as the No. 1 podcast on Spotify in seven countries: the U.S., Canada, U.K., Ireland, India, Australia, and New Zealand. It shot to the top of the charts soon after premiering Aug. 23 with featured guest Serena Williams, who recently announced plans to retire from pro tennis. The weekly show, hosted and executive produced by Markle, aims to “dissect, explore and subvert the labels that try to hold women back,” as she put it in the trailer for the series. “Archetypes” is available exclusively on Spotify.

Brea Baker has been tapped as Chief Equity Officer at social impact firm and creative house Inspire Justice.