Skydance is moving quickly to unify its theatrical operation under a single marketing and distribution chief. Josh Goldstine will oversee marketing and distribution across Warner Bros. Pictures, Paramount Pictures and all future Skydance film labels, sources told Variety.
The appointment places two rival studio slates under one release and campaign leader. Goldstine has been Paramount’s president of worldwide marketing and distribution since October 2025, following David Ellison’s acquisition of Paramount that August. He previously ran worldwide marketing at Warner Bros. and left that post in January 2025.
Who reports into the new structure
On the Warner side, the change is direct:
- Marketing executives Dana Nussbaum, Christian Davin and John Stanford will report to Goldstine.
- Jeff Goldstein, Warner’s president of global theatrical distribution, was also in the meeting.
Goldstine’s remit covers distribution as well as marketing, and it sits under a film group that already has new leadership. Skydance earlier named Josh Greenstein and Dana Goldberg co-chairs of Skydance Motion Picture Group, overseeing both Warner Bros. and Paramount. DC Studios remains with James Gunn and Peter Safran.
Why this matters for film buyers
For media planners and entertainment marketers, the structure matters more than the title. One executive controlling marketing and distribution across Warner Bros. and Paramount can align release dates, campaign windows, media budgets and messaging across labels. It also signals how Ellison intends to run his combined studio group after closing the Warner Bros. deal on Tuesday.
The setup does not guarantee bigger budgets or more hits. But it changes who approves theatrical campaigns and how quickly cross-studio decisions can move. For buyers, the practical question is whether release calendars are now managed as one portfolio rather than two rival slates.
Goldstine’s appointment follows Ellison’s broader management rollout. Ynon Kreiz was named co-CEO, with George Cheeks and Casey Bloys as co-chairs and chief content officers for Skydance TV, and JB Perrette as chief business officer of Skydance TV and DTC.
A rapid return after a messy exit
Goldstine’s appointment is also a sharp reversal. He was dismissed from Warner Bros. in January 2025 after four years, during a stretch that mixed hits such as “Dune: Part Two,” “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” and “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” with costly misses like “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” and “Joker: Folie à Deux.” Now he returns to oversee the studio’s marketing apparatus from above.
Representatives for Warner Bros. Pictures and Paramount had no immediate comment.
Source: Variety
