Phil Spencer has ascended further in the Microsoft hierarchy, assuming the position of vice president of gaming, and joining the company’s senior leadership team.
Spencer has been with Microsoft since 1988, and has led the brand’s Xbox team for the launches of the Xbox One S and X. He has previously headed Microsoft Studios and Microsoft Game Studios as well.
Josh Greenstein, president of worldwide marketing and distribution at Sony Pictures has renewed his contract for another three years. He has assisted in turning the company around, ending the company’s string of cinema missteps with his work on Spider-Man: Homecoming and Baby Driver.
“Not only has he shown extraordinary skill at the head of our campaigns, he has also been an outstanding leader in restructuring our marketing and distribution teams around the world to better align with a constantly-evolving marketplace,” Tom Rothman, Sony Pictures chairman said. “The studio is in a stronger position now than when Josh arrived in 2014, and his brilliant work has been integral to that growth. He kicks my butt on the golf course, but is otherwise a tremendous partner.”
Evan Langweiler has been promoted to senior vice president of global communications at NBC Universal, continuing his ten-year career at the company. In his expanded role, he will work with the conglomerate’s television divisions as well as continue overseeing the film marketing efforts.
Paramount Pictures has announced leadership changes in its international marketing division, as Nic Crawley, its president of international theatrical marketing, is leaving for a job as CEO at newly founded film distributor H Collective. Replacing him is Mary Daily, formerly chief marketing officer for 20th Century Fox.
“Mary’s creative business approach coupled with her campaign expertise will be integral as we expand Paramount’s content on digital and streaming platforms, on demand, Blu-Ray, DVD and the newest distribution channels,” said Andrew Gumpert, Paramount’s marketing and distribution head.
Before joining Paramount, Crawley served as Walt Disney Company’s senior vice president of international marketing.
Sanjay Sharma is leaving All Def Digital, after holding the position of CEO at the youth media startup for the past three years. Osman Eralp will assume control as interim CEO while the company searches for Sharma’s permanent replacement, though he will remain on All Def Digital’s board of directors and serve as a senior adviser.
Sharma departs the company to found his own digital media company, though no further details are currently available.
Mitú has lost its founding CEO Roy Burstin, who is resigning to make way for Herb Scannell. Co-founder and president Beatriz Acevedo will take on expanded responsibilities, leading all content production, talent development and social media strategy.
Scannell has consulted for the Latino media company for over a year, and has been a member of its board of directors since this spring.
FuboTV has brought on Yale Wang as vice president and head of North American marketing. Most recently, Wang worked at Warner Bros. Digital Networks as vice president and head of marketing.
Nick Allen has been named as the Madison Square Garden (MSG) Company’s vice president of esports, where he will lead the venue’s efforts to expand its presence in the market, focusing on Counter Logic Gaming, their recently acquired professional gaming fashion.
“Nick brings with him an extensive knowledge of esports and a deep set of relationships developed through overseeing some of the industry’s most popular events, and he has created initiatives that have continued to grow the gaming community,” Jordan Solomon, executive vice president of MSG sports.
Previously, Allen served as vice president of esports at Twitch, and beforehand led esports operations for Riot Games, developers of League of Legends.
The Indiana Pacers announced the hiring Robert “Cody” Parrent as director of esports operations for the franchise, heading their NBA 2K League team.
“Cody brings solid competitive gaming experience in many esports titles such as Halo, CS:GO, FIFA, and NBA 2K,” said Kelly Krauskopf, senior vice president for the Pacers. “He has built numerous connections in the NBA 2K community through his background in developing the 2KLab which focuses on analyzing data from the 2K video game franchise in order to give players an edge over the competition.”
Parrent has worked at Berry Plastics Corp as a business analyst and more recently as co-owner at Blue Commerce.
Groupon has hired Jennifer Carr-Smith to the position of senior vice president and general manager of North America Local.
“[Carr-Smith] is a proven leader with a strong background in growing and scaling businesses, and she’ll bring a valuable and unique perspective and an expansive e-commerce background that will help us continue to build Groupon into a daily habit,” said Aaron Cooper, Groupon’s North American president.
Previously, Carr-Smith was president of Peapod, and before that oversaw global online business for J. Crew.
Chinese search engine Baidu has appointed Herman Yu as chief financial officer, replacing Jennifer Li. Yu has previously held the same position at Weibo since 2015, and SINA from 2007 to 2015.
(Editor’s Note: This post will be updated daily until Friday, September 22. Have a new hire tip? Let us know at editorial@alistdaily.com.)
Job Vacancies
| Director, Marketing | Razer USA, Ltd. | Irvine, CA |
| Director, Marketing | Sony Music Entertainment | New York, NY |
| Brand Manager | BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America Inc. | Santa Clara, CA |
| Director, Product Marketing | Menlo Park, CA | |
| Sr. Product Marketing Manager | AT&T | El Segundo, CA |
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