Dan Cohen is stepping down as Paramount’s chief content licensing officer and president of its revived acquisition arm, Republic Pictures.
His departure comes ahead of Skydance’s impending merger with Paramount, with more executive departures likely to come as Skydance CEO David Ellison installs his own leadership team. Cohen’s final day at Paramount will be on Friday.
“This has been an incredibly difficult decision for me as the journey we’ve shared has been one of the most rewarding chapters of my career,” Cohen said in a memo to employees obtained by TheWrap.
“Over the last 8 years, I’ve had the privilege of working alongside the most talented and dedicated individuals in the industry. Together, we’ve navigated a constantly evolving media landscape, forged groundbreaking deals and brought incredible stories to audiences around the world,” the memo continued. “I know you’ll continue to carry this important work forward with the same enthusiasm and excellence.”
Cohen joined Paramount in 2017 as President of Worldwide Television Licensing, after spending 20 years working at Disney. After becoming head of Paramount Global Content Distribution, he spearheaded the revival of Republic Pictures, a film label dating back to 1935, to release films acquired by Paramount.
Among the titles released by Republic included “BlackBerry,” Matt Johnson’s retelling of the rise and fall of the titular tech company, and “The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial,” a Showtime film that was the final movie directed by William Friedkin.
Skydance is expected to complete its $8 billion merger with Paramount on Aug. 7, at which time Ellison will take over as head of the legacy studio alongside former NBCUniversal chief Jeff Shell.
