Viacom’s Longtime PR Chief Carl Folta Exits

Head of corporate communications resigns less than a week after Philippe Dauman is ousted as CEO

Carl Folta
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Viacom head of corporate communications Carl Folta resigned on Tuesday after being with the company for over two decades.

His departure comes during a tumultuous time at Viacom, just days after Philippe Dauman was ousted as CEO.

Folta, who joined the company when Viacom acquired Gulf+Western parent Paramount Communications in 1994, has recently had to defend Dauman during his feud with Sumner and Shari Redstone.

“Day in and day out, he literally had the hardest job in the company, and he handled it all with grace, skill and a smile,” interim CEO Tom Dooley said in an internal memo to employees Tuesday, according to multiple media reports.

“Philippe and I and every one on our senior team relied on and trusted Carl every step of the way. It is hard to imagine anyone else who could have navigated so much change so well and retained his sanity and good humor. He always found the best in us and made sure that others did too.”

Folta is a graduate of Boston University’s College of Communication and was presented with the school’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 1998. He was also an adjunct professor at New York University.

As for Dauman, Viacom detailed his estimated $72 million golden parachute Tuesday morning via a Securities and Exchange Commission filing. First and foremost, the former company chairman will get a check for $46.4 million on his release date, Sept. 13. So long as he complies with his employee agreement — which includes a non-compete clause — he’ll get $11.6 million more in regular paychecks over the next 29 months or so.

Plus, Dauman is still eligible for a $20 million bonus for 2016. Since he won’t serve the full fiscal year, however, Dauman is only entitled for up to $17.7 million.

He’s also eligible to receive 1.1 million performance share units, plus 300,000 more of those in restricted stock.

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