Source: This story originated with Variety.
David Ellison’s Skydance has installed three senior executives across its advertising, content sales and distribution operations as the company continues building its leadership team following the merger of Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery.
Variety reported that Skydance announced Thursday that Jay Askinasi will lead advertising sales, David Decker will run content sales and Ray Hopkins will oversee distribution. Their respective titles are chief revenue officer for advertising, president of content sales and president of distribution.
Askinasi and Hopkins will also join the Skydance Executive Leadership Team. All three executives will report to JB Perrette, the former Warner Bros. Discovery executive who serves as co-chair and chief business officer of Skydance TV and Skydance DTC.
The appointments place experienced executives in charge of three major commercial areas for the combined company: generating advertising revenue, licensing its content portfolio and managing distribution relationships across traditional and digital platforms.
Advertising Leadership Changes
Askinasi takes responsibility for advertising sales across the combined company. His appointment also brings departures from the Warner Bros. Discovery side of the business: Ryan Gould and Robert “Bobby” Voltaggio, who have served as presidents of U.S. advertising sales at Warner Bros. Discovery, will leave the company.
Askinasi joined Paramount as chief revenue officer after leading global media revenue and growth at Roku. Earlier, he was CEO of Publicis Media Exchange U.S., overseeing significant media and advertising operations.
His experience covers platforms, agencies, data and advertising technology. Skydance’s biography for the executive also cited his record of turning underused assets into growing commercial businesses.
Perrette said uniting the companies’ teams would allow Skydance to build on their respective legacies while finding new ways to serve audiences and business partners.
“Jay, David and Ray are hugely talented and respected leaders with deep experience, strong industry relationships and a shared commitment to our partners and our people,” Perrette said in a statement. “There is tremendous opportunity ahead of us, and I look forward to working closely with them as we build the next generation media and entertainment organization.”
Decker Takes Charge of Content Sales
Decker arrives in the Skydance role with more than two decades at Warner Bros. His responsibilities have included worldwide licensing and distribution for Warner Bros.’ film, television, animation and digital content portfolios across major global platforms.
Most recently, he served as president of content sales for Warner Bros. Discovery. The company said Decker has developed major deals during his career. As Skydance’s president of content sales, he will now lead that business for the merged operation.
Hopkins to Oversee Distribution
Hopkins brings more than 35 years of distribution experience to his new post. He joined CBS Corporation in 2013 and has managed Paramount’s relationships with video providers, digital and streaming platforms, and CBS affiliate station groups.
Before that, Hopkins served as chief operating officer of YES Network. He has also been inducted into the Broadcasting + Cable Hall of Fame.
His appointment gives Skydance an executive with established experience across several parts of the distribution landscape. Along with leading distribution, Hopkins will have a voice in the company’s broader direction through his seat on the Executive Leadership Team.
ShowBiz Take
These appointments matter because they define who will control several of the merged company’s central routes to revenue and market reach. Advertising sales, content licensing and distribution each connect Skydance’s programming to audiences and commercial partners, and the new structure puts those responsibilities under executives drawn from both Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery backgrounds.
The decision to add Askinasi and Hopkins to the Executive Leadership Team also signals that advertising and distribution will be represented at Skydance’s senior decision-making level. Meanwhile, Gould and Voltaggio’s planned exits show that the consolidation is producing changes beyond new titles, particularly within the combined advertising organization.
What Happens Next?
Skydance is continuing to announce senior appointments for the new company. The immediate transition will include Askinasi assuming leadership of combined advertising sales as Gould and Voltaggio depart, while Decker and Hopkins take charge of content sales and distribution. Skydance did not provide additional timing for those departures or further executive announcements in the supplied material.