Skydance Motion Picture Group Co-Presidents Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein sent a first-day memo to the troops at Paramount and Warner Bros. units. Motion Picture as the Paramount-WBD merger was made official on Tuesday.
Among the priorities, we understand, is maintaining the legacy of both studios. In the memo, Goldberg and Greenstein said they consider themselves “stewards of two of the most storied studios in Hollywood history.”
They also explained that the companies’ respective film divisions would operate independently.
RELATED: James Gunn and Peter Safran to Remain at DC Studios After Paramount-Warner Bros Merger
“We have organized our motion picture divisions around the films themselves. Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures will continue to build and release their slate of films separately, under these brands. This means that every Warner Bros. Pictures or Paramount Pictures film you see will carry their respective logo. These are the foundational labels and will remain the homes of our largest commercial and filmmaker-driven projects. DC Studios, New Line Cinema and Paramount Primal will continue as separate labels with specific mandates. Our animation and specialty labels, including including Republic Pictures and Warner Bros. Clockwork will also operate independently.
A more immediate priority for the duo – who have worked to return the Paramount film unit to financially reasonable shape – is to get under the hood of Warner Bros.
RELATED: New Line Boss Richard Brener Set to Move Over Paramount-Warner Bros Merger – The Dish
Here is the full text of their memo:
Dear teammates,
Today marks the first day of a new chapter, and we are proud to share it with all of you. It’s a tremendous privilege to direct films, and an even greater honor to do so as the manager of two of the most storied studios in Hollywood history. We take this responsibility seriously and have enormous respect for the people, work and relationships that have made these studios what they are today.
At the heart of this legacy is the simple belief that movies are best watched together, on the big screen. A century later, this human connection is still alive. Going to the movies is a community tradition, where a story becomes a moment that we carry together. This tradition is thriving and David Ellison is making one of the most important investments in its future. We believe in it and we all participate in it.Our mission is to build on the legacy of these studios as homes for the greatest filmmakers and storytellers. We will embrace their vision, support it with the best marketing and distribution in the industry, and continue to create cultural moments that shape generations. This means making bold decisions, alongside those that will please the public, with a constant drive to push the boundaries.
We organized our film divisions around the films themselves. Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures will continue to create and release its selection of films separately, under these brands. This means that every Warner Bros. film. Pictures or Paramount Pictures that you see will have their respective logo. These are the foundational labels and will remain the homes of our biggest commercial and cinematic projects. DC Studios, New Line Cinema and Paramount Primal will remain separate labels with specific mandates. Our animation and specialty labels, including Republic Pictures and Warner Bros. Clockwork, will also work independently.We will not pretend that a combination of this size occurs without change. We know you will have questions and we will answer as many as possible, although we will not be able to answer them all today. In the coming months, we’ll spend time with teams from both studios, listening, learning, and sharing updates along the way. Your experience and perspective will be essential in shaping what happens next. What we can say with certainty is that our goal is simple and it begins with the work in front of us.
Our collective work is to provide teams and filmmakers with the support they need to perform at their best and make entertaining and lasting films. The opportunity ahead of us is extraordinary and we look forward to building on everything you have accomplished.
Together we will build something special.
Long live cinema,
Dana and Josh
The missive comes just hours after Skydance co-CEO David Ellison sent his own note.
Gn headline
