Movies

David Nevins leaves Paramount after 12 years at the helm of Showtime – Deadline

October 6, 2022

David Nevins has stepped down as chief content officer of scripted originals for Paramount+ and president and CEO of Showtime Networks. He just made the announcement internally in a memo, a copy of which was obtained by Deadline (read below). He will leave at the end of the year.

Nevins’ decision comes three years after the Viacom-CBS merger was finalized. He had risen through the ranks since then, adding oversight of BET, scripted originals from Paramount+ and Paramount Television. A respected veteran television executive, he was part of Paramount’s senior management under CEO Bob Bakish. With several executives having their say on Paramount+ and calls often made by committee, there has been some frustration with the decision-making process within the company. There had also been talks of consolidating some of the operations under Bakish.

RELATED: Paramount Assigns David Nevins Turf to Chris McCarthy, George Cheeks and Tom Ryan; CEO Bob Bakish hails outgoing leader’s ‘priceless’ run

Showtime will now transition to Chris McCarthy, while George Cheeks will take over BET and Paramount TV. Showtime’s OTT team will transition to Paramount Streaming under Tom Ryan, a process that was already in the exploratory phase.

Nevins’ departure comes with Showtime at its highest, after earning a slew of Emmy nominations for his new hit. yellow jackets. It’s a good bookmark for Nevins’ tenure at Showtime which began with the Emmy winner. Country, a series he brought to the network through his connections he had cultivated during his tenure at Imagine Television.

At Paramount+, Nevins’ team was responsible for the hit Halo, which had been developed at Showtime. Among the list of scripted originals coming to the streamer, Nevins was particularly excited about Grease: The Rise of the Pink Ladies.

“So why now?” Nevins wrote in the email. “Quite simply, over the past few months, I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m ready for the next phase of my life and career. The industry is changing rapidly and I’m really excited about what the future holds. More importantly, the management team led by Jana Winograde, Gary Levine, Scott Mills and Nicole Clemens is more than ready. The 2023 slate is set, and I believe the coming year’s programming from Showtime, BET and Paramount Television Studios will be the most ambitious and exciting group of shows we’ve ever aired in a single year. I can’t wait to see this happen.

Here is the full memo:

Dear Team,

I am writing this morning, so you learn from me that I have made the decision that the time has come for me to leave my position at the top of the premium group at the end of the year.

The good news is that it’s not immediate and I’ll help figure out the details of the transition.

I am extremely grateful for the past 12 years and the various positions I have held in this company. It has truly been one of the great joys of my life to be able to do what I love to do with all of you. Together, we have accomplished a great deal. Year after year, we have succeeded in creating and launching shows that have defined the zeitgeist, that have excited, delighted and moved our audience, and that have received adulation and awards from our peers.

The love of good storytelling, being excellent, showing up and being passionate about what you do is what you all brought to the table day in and day out. When I spent a year abroad in Glasgow during my university studies, I studied film for the first time and the children there could only dream of being able to tell stories on such a grand scale at a global audience. I realized that the great privilege of being an American was that after I graduated, I could take my grandma’s old Buick, drive to Los Angeles, and give my dream a chance – no green card required. And you all helped make that dream a reality.

Above all, I’m so proud of the team we’ve put together. To those of you who predate my arrival, to those of you who have joined us over the past decade, and to those of you with whom I have had the pleasure of working closely only since the merger: thank you. We have built a culture of integrity, respect, collaboration and creative risk-taking. Together, we have transformed our entire business model over the past few years. And we’ve managed to attract some of the most talented creative people on the planet to come and work with us.

I am also extremely grateful for the support of Bob and Shari as well as my colleagues on Bob’s management team. Their personal commitment to the success of this business and the achievement of our individual goals is what you can only expect from your leadership.

So why now? Quite simply, over the past few months, I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m ready for the next phase of my life and career. The industry is changing rapidly and I’m really excited about what the future holds. More importantly, the management team led by Jana Winograde, Gary Levine, Scott Mills and Nicole Clemens is more than ready. The 2023 slate is set, and I believe the coming year’s programming from Showtime, BET and Paramount Television Studios will be the most ambitious and exciting group of shows we’ve ever aired in a single year. I can’t wait to see that happen.

Know that I will be there during this transition to support each of you to the best of my ability. I look forward to our continued relationship because, at its core, that’s the best thing about working in this industry: the relationships we build with each other. That and the sheer joy of serving our audience with stories that stick to their screens.

Thank you all.

David