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I've learned Paramount is merging its creative advertising groups. As a result, 7 people were laid off on Thursday -- 4 from home entertainment creative, 3 in theatrical creative. "There are no other headcount reductions being evaluated," an insider tells me. "This is a creative decision. The same people will now work on the advertising campaigns for each feature starting with the theatrical release through the home entertainment release. Given the number of tentpoles on our slate, we want the continuity through the home entertainment release." This 4th quarter, Paramount's home entertainment is releasing Transformers 2, Star Trek, and G.I. Joe.
Paramount Layoffs As Studio Merges Home Entertainment And Theatrical Creatives
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“This is a creative decision.” No, this is a lame-brain decision. Theatrical advertising and home video advertising are completely different challenges, requiring completely different skill-sets. It sounds more like a cheap-ass, any moron can make keyart, decision.
If this were such a logical decision, why haven’t other studios done this, as well?
I’m leaning toward what Anon has said—that Paramount is desperate to cut costs. Hell, they can’t even afford to release a movie anymore. That’s what Paramount gets for adopting a strategy whereby the don’t actually make any money off of successful movies.
Is Nancy Goliger still there?
I’m betting theatrical lost Goliger and Fleisher.
This all stinks to High Heaven!!! Watch other Studios follow! They are changing the business model in this town..I mean all the studio execs are. They did it with Editors and Vendors and now they are doing it with creative although some creatives don’t know what the hell they are doing anyway but we can’t overlook the fact that it’s happening. Good luck making a living in this town!
Ok Paramount, now don’t screw up with Redbox. I know you’re doing a wait and see approach, but sign a deal and get $500 mil from Redbox and have agree to destroy old disc instead of selling them. Remember everyone, Redbox pays the same amount of money per disc as Blockbuster, Hollywood Video, and Video Gallery.
They have like 15 executives . Cutting bills after doing 70 versions on a trailer. Giving a flat deal to BLT to do all the print for every fim. It’s run out of fear. Not healthy at all.
The whole problem would be solved with a single fire.. Josh Greenstein…
The man spends excessively, acts like a mini Bob Weinstein and terrorizes agencies and in the end the creative is mediocre at best.
Don’t worry about it. All the execs are going to get canned too. They just don’t know it yet. Bottom line they don’t know what they are doing. Most of them don’t understand the entertainment business, and they are just trying to trim costs. The Corporate parents are looking to sell everything off, because Big studios don’t make money anymore. The lots will be empty very soon.
EVPWarners – josh greenstein is one of the good ones. handles tough filmmakers, solves creative puzzles and launches franchises. any studio would be lucky to have him.
What planet do you live on.
Surely not the same planet we all do.
Josh is a little prick who abuses the little power he has.
Ask BLT, Ask any Trailer company, Ask his own VP’s
Everyone just rolls their eyes when you mention his name
If anyone thinks BLT is jumping up and down about their little “deal” with Paramount, think again, it is CHOCKING them.. flat fee for print. more and more and more and more and more….like the “IDEA” is going to come on Comp #2567
“shrek5″, a.k.a. Josh- why don’t you go back to breaking the system instead of posting BS comments on blogs?
The studios are making money, they are making record box-office profits every year. The problem is the larger conglomerates that own them are squeezing every scent out of them and trying to run them like every other poorly managed business they own.
I disagree that HE and Theatrical are entirely different skill-sets. Most HE campaigns are cut-downs or re-purposing of theatrical anyway. The only difference is the marketing strategy pre & post release.
“I disagree that HE and Theatrical are entirely different skill-sets. Most HE campaigns are cut-downs or re-purposing of theatrical anyway. The only difference is the marketing strategy pre & post release.”
This is a common misconception. First, 50-65% of the product that HE puts out had not theatrical release (think TV product, DTV Acquisitions and sequels, Catalog on Blu-ray, etc.). Of the other 35-50 that do have theatrical key art, at least half have redesigns of key art because they films had limited key art awareness due to poor theatrical box office (just from the Paramount recent slate, look at Carriers or Marc Pease Experience) or the theatrical key art simply would not work on a video box for whatever reason (like Up In The Air, which doesn’t show George Clooney). Nearly all of the remaining theatrical product (typically the highest profile stuff, like Transformers or Star Trek) has at least slight modifications made (like the title being moved to the top of the layout from the bottom). This would be your cut-down/re-purposing percentage (probably 25% of titles, at most).
Also, don’t forget that every package needs a spine and back that all are created by the HE guys.
That said, Paramount has a long history of doing more re-purposing than most of the other studios.
Not saying this new strategy can’t work, but it certainly is not a simple “flip of the switch” as you imply.
Turns out the firings were assistant-level only.
Layoffs in Theatrical? None that count in the way the announcement led you to believe they counted. An assistant lost her job, and one person from the stills dept and one person from interactive. They have 8 executives in creative advertising working on, if they’re lucky 8 movies, since Paramount cut their slate, they made no sacrifices and lost no one, and believe me they could afford to lose some of those creative executives, a lot of dead weight.
Clive must have given some big kick-backs to get the flat deal. It must be killing them. Its all they have now. Except Disney and back to the KICK-BACKS.Stop. Your going to hell.For what?
BLT- we just wait till other shops do good work and then rip them off. So sad. Josh is the only one that still likes us. Flat deal.! We are still rich, its ok. Go Josh.
P.S. we do AV..
8 creatives for domestic paramount??!…to be precise how many “creatives” there are…let’s count..
2 EVPs, 1 SVP, 4 VPs (one is a VP of deadlines), 1 Director, 1 Manager, 1 CONSULTANT, 6 assistants, and Josh= Grand total= 17 counts for overhead
Michael Moore’s next documentary…Josh, his flat fee deal with BLT, theatrical and Home Entertainment merging and how Parammount domestic team does not jave 8 creative execs…let’s count
2 evps, 2 svp, 4 VPs (1 vp for deadlines alone), 1 director, 1 manager, 1 Consultant, 6 assistants,and Josh!! Grand total is 18 overhead counts.No wonder
Theatrical amd Home Entertainment is merging. He needs to find his people work. Great movie in the making.
Someone investigate.
Aren’t there 2 marketing presidents? Josh shares the Marketing Pres title with the ex-Vantage publicity woman, right? So maybe it ups the grand total to 19. I’m sure she weighs in with creative comments. Just gets better and better!
Can someone clarify what this BLT deal with Paramount is supposed to be? How does that work and how does it hurt/help anyone involved.
95% BLT – 5% everyone else. And BLT is over. Haven’t had a good poster in 2 years.
i hear Josh gets his car paid. And house.