Brian Robbins, former co-CEO of Paramount Global and president and CEO of Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon, is reflecting on his time at the company amid his exit following the Skydance merger.
“This moment of transition is, of course, bittersweet,” he said in a Wednesday afternoon memo to staff obtained by Variety. “But I step away with deep pride in what we’ve built together, and with great confidence in the road ahead. The company is in exceptionally capable hands with David Ellison and the incoming team from Skydance, and I know you’ll continue to thrive and excel with your collective talents.”
After joining the company in 2017, Robbins became president and CEO of Nickelodeon in October 2018, president and CEO of Paramount Pictures in September 2021 and co-CEO of Paramount Global in April 2024. As co-CEO of Paramount Global, Robbins has been part of the senior team that has launched and scaled Paramount+.
During his tenure running Paramount Pictures, Robbins has overseen 17 No. 1 releases. Key franchises expanded and reinvigorated under his watch include “Sonic the Hedgehog,” “A Quiet Place,” “Mission: Impossible,” “Scream,” “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” and “PAW Patrol.”
Since taking over Paramount in 2021, Robbins has pushed the film team to work more closely with other divisions of Paramount Global. “If you look at our success, we made some great movies, but we marketed the living hell out of them,” he told Variety in a 2023 cover story. “And that’s because I did what no one else at Paramount had done. There was a moat around the studio, and I pulled up the drawbridge and said we’re going to work across the company.”
Robbins’ departure comes amid significant executive shuffling at the company, as the new owners of Paramount Global have begun putting their leadership team in place in advance of the closing of the Skydance merger on Aug. 7. Tom Ryan, president and CEO of Paramount Streaming, and Mike Ireland, president of Paramount Motion Picture group, also stepped down this week.
Ellison, the founder of Skydance, will become chairman and CEO of Paramount. Andy Gordon, who leads the West Coast office of RedBird Capital Partners, is set to take the role of chief operating officer and chief strategic officer. RedBird teamed with Skydance to acquire Paramount Global for $8.5 billion.
Read the full internal memo from Robbins below:
I’m writing today to share with you that I am departing as Co-CEO of Paramount Global, and President and CEO of Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon. As my time with the company comes to a close, I want to take a moment to express my sincere gratitude to all of you.
When I first walked onto the Paramount Pictures lot as a young filmmaker many years ago, I never imagined I’d one day be entrusted with leading this storied studio. It has been one of the greatest privileges of my life to work alongside such an extraordinary group of people – creators, executives, teams – whose passion and dedication continue to inspire me every day.
As I reflect on our time together, we’ve jointly experienced an incredible amount of change and transformation. Through global disruptions, shifting audience behaviors, and major industry evolution, your perseverance and creativity never wavered. You stayed focused, resilient, and committed to our shared mission: telling great stories that captivate audiences. With commitment and care, we brought new life to our studio’s franchises, expanded into new platforms, and strengthened our footprint across film, television, streaming, and consumer products.
At Paramount Pictures, we’ve continued to build on a legacy of great entertainment while pushing forward with fresh voices and ambitious ideas. You’ve helped bring to life stories that entertain, resonate, and endure, and reminded audiences why theatrical matters – why shared experiences in dark rooms still have the power to unite. We’ve reinvigorated beloved properties and expanded franchises, including Sonic the Hedgehog, Scream, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, A Quiet Place, and Mission: Impossible. We championed bold new films like Smile and Bob Marley: One Love, and delivered new takes on classic films like Mean Girls and The Naked Gun – and of course – this team is behind the highest-grossing film in the studio’s history, Top Gun: Maverick. In the wake of Covid, we led the charge bringing audiences back to theaters at a time when the world longed for connection and community, leading to a record-breaking year in the studio’s history.
At Nickelodeon, I’m especially proud of how we honored the iconic heritage of the brand while building new connections with today’s generation through innovative content, smart digital strategy, and deep franchise expansion – from SpongeBob and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to Dora to PAW Patrol and beyond. Also, our groundbreaking and Emmy® Award-winning simulcasts of the NFL Playoff and Super Bowl games set the bar for massive engagement with a younger generation during these landmark sporting events. As a result, we expanded Nick’s standing as a creative wellspring and as the #1 kids’ entertainment brand.
This moment of transition is, of course, bittersweet. But I step away with deep pride in what we’ve built together, and with great confidence in the road ahead. The company is in exceptionally capable hands with David Ellison and the incoming team from Skydance, and I know you’ll continue to thrive and excel with your collective talents.
To everyone across the company, thank you. Thank you for staying the course in difficult moments, and for pushing boundaries with heart and determination. Most importantly, thank you for your friendship. It has been an honor to be on this journey with you. I’ll be cheering for you – always.
With gratitude,
Brian
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