Universal's president of marketing, Eddie Egan, is switching to head of marketing at Illumination Entertainment, the studio announced Wednesday.
He will keep a presence at Universal as executive VP, but a new president of marketing is expected to be named soon.
The switch comes barely five months after the Comcast took over the studio as part of its $13.8 billion purchase of NBC Universal. Egan's move to Illumination may be a sign that the Philadelphia-based cable giant is doing more to make its presence felt in Hollywood.
Egan is the second major Universal executive to leave a top-level job there this month. On May 2, the studio fired production president Debbie Liebling.
At Illumination, Egan will report to Chris Meledandri, who founded that company. On the face of it seems as though Egan is trading the top marketing post at Universal for a less influential position. However, Meledandri is a crucial part of Universal's overall strategy.
Moreover, an individual close to the studio told TheWrap that Egan is not being pushed out. Rather, it comes down to a quality of life issue, after years spent running a demanding department. The individual said Egan's new executive VP title is not mere show, and that he will continue to play a role at Universal.
As a testament of Illumination's importance to Universal, the studio's animated film "Despicable Me" was one of the company's few hits in 2010. Though it was a more modest success, "Hop" was another recent bright spot. Universal also has high hopes for Illumination's "Dr. Seuss' The Lorax," which hits theaters on March 2, 2012.
Illumination plans to make two films a year beginning in 2013, and Egan will oversee their marketing campaigns.
The studio has had a troubled record the past few years, with few hits between costly bombs such as "The Green Zone" and "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World," although it has lately been on an upswing. By leaving on the heels of twin successes "Bridesmaids" and "Fast Five," Egan is making the move on a high note.
In a written statement, Egan alluded to the tempestuous last few years: "I wasn't going to not stick with this team through the turbulence of the last couple of years. These are people I've worked alongside for a long time, and we all locked arms and soldiered through a time whose only consistent reward was that we went through it with each other. But I feel like the studio is through that patch, and that gives me the chance to move to this new opportunity."
"Fast Five" has grossed $188 million domestically since its April 29 release, and $516 million worldwide. The studio's "Bridesmaids" has grossed $64 million since its May 13 release.
Egan became president of marketing at Universal in October 2007. He had been co-president since May 2002. Before that, he was senior VP and executive VP marketing.
Prior to joining Universal, he was an executive at Sony Pictures and 20th Century Fox.
