Dan Cohen, a seasoned industry sales veteran and the head of content sales at Paramount Global, has announced his departure from his role as the chief licensing officer of the company. This move comes in anticipation of Skydance Media’s impending takeover of Paramount Global and CBS.
In a message to his colleagues sent on Thursday, Cohen confirmed his exit from Paramount Global and his position as president of Republic Pictures. Skydance Media is set to finalize its acquisition of Paramount for $8 billion on August 7th, marking the beginning of a new era of management at the renowned studio and network, with David Ellison as CEO and Jeff Shell, the former leader of NBCUniversal, at the helm.
In his farewell message, Cohen expressed gratitude for the opportunity to work with incredibly talented individuals in the industry over the past 8 years. He highlighted the team’s achievements in navigating the ever-changing media landscape, securing groundbreaking deals, and delivering captivating stories to audiences worldwide. Cohen expressed confidence in his colleagues’ ability to continue the important work with the same level of dedication and excellence.
Prior to his role at Paramount Global, Cohen spent 20 years as a TV sales executive at Disney. Upon joining Paramount in 2017 as the head of television licensing, Cohen spearheaded the revival of the Republic Pictures brand, focusing on genre films and other content that didn’t align with Paramount’s main portfolio. Additionally, he led the studio’s foray into the FAST channel distribution business through a partnership with motivational speaker Tony Robbins to monetize Robbins’ extensive archive of content.
Cohen’s final day at Paramount Global is scheduled for August 1st, according to his memo to colleagues. His departure marks the end of an era at the studio, but his legacy of innovative deal-making and strategic partnerships is sure to leave a lasting impact on Paramount Global’s future endeavors.
