Lengthy-time Paramount TV Studios government Keith Cox is departing the corporate after 20 years.
Cox, an early advocate for Taylor Sheridan and what would change into the sprawling Yellowstone universe and former head of improvement and manufacturing at Paramount Community and TV Land, is at the moment president of MTV Leisure. He and Paramount TV Studios president Matt Thunell introduced Cox’s departure in notes despatched to employees on Thursday (learn them in full, under).
“Keith is a respected leader and has been an incredible partner to both Dana [Goldberg, co-chair of Paramount Pictures and chair of PTVS] and me from our first days at Paramount,” Thunell wrote. “We are grateful for his leadership, collaboration, and the impact he has had on our teams, creative partners, and franchises.”
Cox’s key lieutenants, Paramount TV Studios vps Todd Baynes and Antonia Covault, will transfer to the present sequence crew on the studio, headed by government vp Carolyn Harris. Baynes and Covault work carefully with 101 Studios, which co-produces the Yellowstone-verse and Sheridan’s different exhibits, together with Landman, Tulsa King and Lioness, in addition to MobLand and The Company.
Sheridan can be leaving Paramount, albeit regularly. The prolific showrunner signed a megadeal with NBCUniversal final yr that covers each movie and TV initiatives; the movie portion of the settlement kicks on this yr, whereas Sheridan’s TV output will stay with Paramount via 2028.
“I’m incredibly confident that with Dana and Matt at the studio and Cindy [Holland], Jane [Wiseman], and Chris [Parnell] at Paramount+, these shows and franchises will continue to thrive,” Cox wrote. “They care deeply about the work, the creators, and the audiences.”
Previous to becoming a member of what was then Viacom in 2006, Cox was vp comedy at Warner Bros. TV. At TV Land, he led the event of the cable channel’s first unique scripted present, Sizzling in Cleveland, and Youthful with Darren Star; the latter relationship helped result in Paramount TV Studios promoting Emily in Paris to Netflix.
Cox added Paramount Community improvement to his portfolio in 2017, the place he championed Yellowstone. He and Nina L. Diaz led MTV Leisure Studios below Chris McCarthy, ultimately including Showtime to their purview because the premium outlet was folded into Paramount+. Cox stayed on after then co-CEO McCarthy departed within the wake of Skydance’s acquisition of Paramount. Cox is leaving a couple of months forward of the anticipated shut of one more merger, Paramount’s $110 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery.
Thunell’s memo is under, adopted by Cox’s.
Group,
I’m reaching out to share some information with you relating to our fantastic colleague Keith Cox. Keith has made the choice to maneuver on from his position with the studio after 20 years of invaluable contributions.
Over his lengthy tenure, Keith helped oversee numerous profitable and culturally impactful sequence throughout the Paramount portfolio. He was an early champion of Taylor Sheridan and helped deliver Yellowstone to Paramount Community, the place it went on to change into the highest scripted present on cable and launched a franchise. He performed an essential position within the growth of the Taylorverse, together with Landman, 1883, 1923, Tulsa King, Mayor of Kingstown, and Lioness, in addition to more moderen hits like The Madison and Marshals; and the soon-to-debut Dutton Ranch. He additionally helped launch Jez Butterworth’s profitable slate of sequence with Paramount+, together with MobLand and The Company. Keith has performed a foundational position in MTV Leisure Studios’ scripted success.
Moreover, Keith has been instrumental within the improvement and launch of a variety of standout sequence throughout Paramount Community and TV Land. These embody TV Land’s signature originals Sizzling in Cleveland and Youthful, which helped redefine the community’s scripted id, and on Netflix, Emily in Paris, which went on to change into a worldwide hit.
Keith has labored carefully alongside among the trade’s largest showrunners, together with Darren Star, Terry Winter, and Jez Butterworth, whereas additionally collaborating with longtime accomplice David Glasser and 101 Studios.
Most significantly, Keith is a revered chief and has been an unimaginable accomplice to each Dana and me from our first days at Paramount. We’re grateful for his management, collaboration, and the affect he has had on our groups, inventive companions, and franchises.
Over the following few weeks, Keith will work on a transition along with his gifted senior inventive crew, Todd Baynes and Antonia Covault, who’ve been shepherding these successes alongside Keith and our companions at 101 Studios. Each Antonia and Todd will proceed to work carefully with me, and can now report back to Carolyn Harris, Head of Present Sequence.
Please be a part of me in thanking Keith for his many contributions. We want you the most effective and can miss you deeply!
Matt
*****
As I mark my twenty years at this superb firm, I needed to ship a word of thanks as I embark on my subsequent chapter.
Twenty years in the past this month, I packed my luggage and moved to New York Metropolis to affix Viacom and work on the TV Land community. Again then, all of the Viacom channels have been ramping up their unique programming, and since TV Land was house to among the most celebrated comedies of all time, the corporate determined to attempt its hand at unique comedies of its personal.
We broke out of the gate with the extremely profitable Sizzling in Cleveland. The night time we shot the pilot, when Betty White walked onto the stage, the viewers gave her a standing ovation that appeared to final 10 minutes. We knew that night time we had one thing particular. Sizzling in Cleveland went on for six seasons, gained a number of awards, and helped set up TV Land as a respectable unique programming vacation spot, paving the way in which for our first single-camera comedy, Youthful.
Youthful, created by the enduring Darren Star, ran for seven seasons and have become one of many defining exhibits of the studio. Darren had already created a number of international tv hits, and it was extremely rewarding to accomplice with him in constructing one other. That inventive relationship ultimately led us to Emily in Paris, which we offered to Netflix, the place it grew to become one in all their most profitable comedy sequence worldwide. I stay extremely happy with the groups, each creatively and behind the scenes, who helped make these sequence so particular.
Then got here 2018. The corporate determined to rebrand Spike as Paramount Community, and Bob Bakish requested me to move up improvement below Kevin Kay. It was fairly an honor, however we knew we needed to make an affect rapidly and construct a slate that would redefine the community.
In a breakfast assembly with David Glasser, Kevin and I heard a pitch described as “The Godfather in Montana.” We instantly noticed the potential. A month later, we met with Taylor Sheridan and acquired Yellowstone within the room.
What adopted exceeded something we may have imagined. Yellowstone grew to become the #1 scripted present on tv and launched what Chris McCarthy would later name the Taylorverse. With Taylor on the heart of all of it, we constructed one of the compelling lineups in tv: Mayor of Kingstown, Lioness, Tulsa King, Landman, The Madison, 1883, 1923, CBS’s mega hit Marshals, and the upcoming Dutton Ranch.
One of many issues I’m proudest of is how aggressively and passionately this firm supported these exhibits from the very starting. With gifted groups throughout each division rowing in the identical route, we have been in a position to launch an unprecedented variety of profitable sequence in a remarkably brief period of time.
Most lately, our growth into London led us to a different distinctive creator, Jez Butterworth. By way of my partnership with David Glasser, we introduced Jez into the fold with an total deal that led to the critically acclaimed The Company and MobLand.
Getting the chance to determine, develop, and produce these exhibits with creators like Darren, Taylor, and Jez is what has made this chapter of my profession so fulfilling. However equally fulfilling has been working carefully with my inventive companions Antonia Covault and Todd Baynes, who’ve been on this journey with me because the starting, and who I do know will proceed to shepherd these exhibits shifting ahead.
I’m extremely assured that with Dana and Matt on the studio and Cindy, Jane, and Chris at Paramount+, these exhibits and franchises will proceed to thrive. They care deeply concerning the work, the creators, and the audiences.
I apologize if this farewell reads a bit of like an IMDb web page, however these exhibits have been by no means simply titles on a slate. They have been years of collaboration, inventive risk-taking, perception, laborious work, and friendship. Our exhibits outline our firm, and our firm is outlined by its folks.
What I’ll miss most are the individuals who made these 20 years so memorable.
And with that, I say thanks for 20 superb years.
Keith
