Veteran Lionsgate film distribution chief David Spitz is exiting the company and will be replaced by former STX Distribution veteran Kevin Grayson, Adam Fogelson, Vice Chair of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group announced on Friday.
Grayson was previously the President of Distribution at STX Entertainment. During his tenure, the oversaw all of the studio’s films, including “Hustlers,” “Bad Moms,” “The Gift,” “Den of Thieves” and the Golden Globe-winning (for Jodie Foster) “The Mauritanian.”
Spitz has played a leadership role at the company since 2003. In that near-20-year run, he has shepherded the distribution strategies for various entries in the “Saw” series, the “Expendables” movies, the “Now You See Me” duology, the “Hunger Games” franchise, the final “Twilight” film and the “John Wick” movies along with copious Tyler Perry-produced (and often directed) melodramas.
His run of hits also includes Oscar-winning flicks like “La La Land,” “Precious” and “Crash” along with the rare blockbuster documentary “Fahrenheit 9/11” along with the likes of “Wonder” and “Knives Out.”
“David has been an incredibly valued leader of Lionsgate’s distribution business for nearly 20 years,” Fogelson said in a statement. “He is highly regarded throughout the industry and has been enormously helpful to me in my first year at Lionsgate. I’m very appreciative, and I hope we have the chance to work together more going forward.”
In his new role, Grayson will work with Fogelson to set the distribution strategies for Lionsgate’s upcoming theatricals which include “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” “Saw X,” an Ana de Armas-starring “John Wick” spin-off titled “Ballerina,” the original comedies “Joy Ride” and “The Blackening” and the Graham King-produced, Antoine Fuqua-directed Michael Jackson biopic.
Before joining STX, Grayson served Universal Pictures as senior vice president of distribution and assistant general sales manager. Grayson worked on smash hits like “Fast and Furious 6,” “Despicable Me,” “Identity Thief,” “Neighbors,” “Ride Along,” “Snow White and the Huntsman,” “Ted,” “Lone Survivor,” “The Lorax,” and Safe House,” among others.
Prior to joining Universal, he was a senior vice president of sales and distribution at Paramount Pictures, where he worked on films for the main studio as well as the Paramount Vantage and Insurge labels. While there he was involved in the distribution of — among others — “An Inconvenient Truth,” “There Will Be Blood” and “Paranormal Activity.” And prior to that he spent 11 years in distribution and theatrical sales at DreamWorks SKG, working on the studio’s first theatrical release, “The Peacemaker” in 1997, along with “Saving Private Ryan,” “Gladiator,” “American Beauty” and “Amistad.
He was integrally involved in the distribution of a diverse range of titles, from An Inconvenient Truth and Paul Thomas Anderson’s There Will Be Blood, to Paranormal Activity and the Justin Bieber concert documentary Never Say Never. He also worked on global hits such as Iron Man and Transformers. He spent 11 years in distribution and theatrical sales at Dreamworks SKG, working on the studio’s first release The Peacemaker thru the launch of their biggest and best-known titles, from Gladiator, American Beauty, and Saving Private Ryan to Amistad. Grayson started his career in distribution at MGM.
Deadline first reported the news of Spitz’s exit.
