weinsteinlogoEXCLUSIVE: The company and Tom Ortenberg say he asked to leave TWC for “personal reasons”. This news comes against a backdrop of financial drama at TWC including a new round of layoffs to get the company down to 90 people. But the president of theatrical films just told me, “I asked for and was granted a release from my contract with The Weinstein Co. My last day with the company will be September 30th. I want to thank Bob and Harvey fo the terrific opportunity they gave me this past year, and I am particularly proud of my collaboration with them and the incomparable Quentin Tarantino on Inglourious Basterds which has truly been one of the highlights of my career. I will have an announcement about my plans in the near future.”

Ortenberg came to TWC in January after he left Lionsgate as the president of theatrical films. He’d been Lionsgate’s first employee in Los Angeles, opening an office in Santa Monica in 1996 staffed only by himself and a part-time assistant. Based in LA, Ortenberg was in charge of TWC’s theatrical, marketing, distribution, the whole gamut, and reported directly to Harvey and Bob.

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