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Execs

Taylor Momsen in 'Gossip Girl' season two.
TV & Streaming

Execs Called Her “Ungrateful” for Quitting ‘Gossip Girl’

by jummy84
written by jummy84

Taylor Momsen is recalling her intense battle with studio executives over wanting to quit Gossip Girl to pursue her music career.

The singer-actress was the latest guest on Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast, and opened up about her decision to leave the hit series in season four after originating the role of Jenny Humphrey, Dan Humphrey’s (Penn Badgley) younger sister.

“It was an easy decision for me,” Momsen explained. “To actually get out of a contract was not easy…. It was a very long battle of me arguing [with] everyone and going, ‘Get me outta this. I can’t do this anymore. This is killing me. I have something else I want to do with my life, and it has nothing to do with this, and I can’t be stuck here anymore.’”

She recalled executives at Warner Bros. Television calling her “ungrateful” for trying to leave the series, adding, “You’re called all the things that come along with, ‘How dare you turn your back on something that’s been so successful for you.’”

When they wouldn’t let Momsen out of her contract, that’s when she went to Gossip Girl showrunners Stephanie Savage and Josh Schwartz to figure out another option.

“They essentially went, ‘Well, we can’t let you out of the contract because that’s not our job, but we can write you out of the show. We understand what you’re trying to do here,’” she recounted. “I really have to credit them for doing that for me because they did not have to, and they wrote me out of the show so I could go on tour and be in a band.”

While Momsen was already working to make a name for herself in Hollywood even before Gossip Girl, with roles in How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams, her true passion lies with music. Once she departed the show during season four in 2010, the singer went on to tour with her band, The Pretty Reckless.

“I kind of just Irish-dipped. I just wasn’t on the script the next week,” she admitted about how her co-stars learned of her departure from the show. “They all knew I was making music. They all knew I had a band. I would play them stuff because I was working on the first record while I was on the show. I would come in and play songs, but I don’t think anyone knew how serious I was at that stage.”

As Momsen pursued music full-time, she also didn’t want to leave the Gossip Girl fans hanging, so she later reprised her role of Jenny for the series finale in 2012.

“As a fan of television and a fan of the shows, I love when you have the full cast together again,” she said. “You want to full-circle that and round it out.”

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Paramount Layoffs Hit Movie Execs In Production, Marketing, More
TV & Streaming

Paramount Layoffs Hit Movie Execs In Production, Marketing, More

by jummy84
written by jummy84

EXCLUSIVE: Paramount‘s motion picture divisions, including production, literary, marketing and music, were impacted today with many Melrose Ave lot vets exiting. The new David Ellison run conglom is handing out approximately 1,000 pink-slips as it looks to achieve $2 billion in overall savings. We understand that some of those savings aren’t in job cuts alone.

Among those departing, we hear, are President of Worldwide Music, Randy Spendlove who has been at the studio since 2006. Spendlove arrived to Paramount as a Grammy Winner for Best Soundtrack Album for the Miramax Best Picture Oscar winner, Chicago. He started at A&M Records as VP of Promotions where he worked with Janet Jackson, Sheryl Crow, Soundgarden and Bryan Adams. In 1998, he became President of Motion Picture Music at Miramax Films where he worked on Chicago, Shakespeare in Love, Cold Mountain and Finding Neverland. While at Paramount, he co-supervised the music and co-produced the soundtrack album for Dreamgirls, which was nominated for three Best Song Oscars.

Other executive departures include Bryan Oh, SVP of Production, who most recently was shepherding a K-pop music drama starring Ji-young Yoo and singer-songwriter Eric Nam; Geoff Stier, EVP of Production who was formerly with Showtime Original Programming and a previous Paramount vet overseeing such titles as World War Z and True Grit before coming back in July 2024; Andres Alvarez, EVP of Home Entertainment; Rachel Cadden, EVP of International Theatrical Marketing; Christine Benitez, SVP Multicultural Marketing; and Phil Cohen, SVP of Literary Affairs who arrived to the studio in 2022.

In a note to staff today, Paramount Co-Chairs Dana Golberg and Josh Greenstein took a knee, expressing how “difficult” today is and how “we want to take a moment to acknowledge the departure of valued colleagues and express our deep gratitude for their contributions, dedication, and the impact they’ve made on our studio.” The duo also emphasized the new Skydance-owned Paramount’s plan of “right-sizing our organization” which aims to “refocus our energy, and align our efforts with the endless opportunities ahead.”

There are 1,000 more expected to be cut from the roughly 20,000-employee count of the combined Paramount and Skydance. The next wave is hitting offshore offices. As Deadline previously reported, Paramount television and marketing/distribution were effected today.

Below is the internal email from Paramount Co-Chairs Dana Golberg and Josh Greenstein.

Team,

We recognize that today has been a difficult one as our workforce changes take effect. We want to take a moment to acknowledge the departure of valued colleagues and express our deep gratitude for their contributions, dedication, and the impact they’ve made on our studio.

This restructuring marks a pivotal step in shaping the path forward. We’re right-sizing our organization to ensure Paramount Pictures remains not only the iconic studio built on more than a century of storytelling, but also the leading destination for creators and innovators who will define the future of entertainment. Please know that we’re making these changes as comprehensively as possible to ensure we can move forward decisively, refocus our energy, and align our efforts with the endless opportunities ahead.

As we set our sights on the future, our goal is to create clarity and momentum as we begin this next chapter. Your managers and HR business partners are here to support you—please don’t hesitate to reach out with questions or concerns. What makes this place exceptional is the spirit of collaboration and kindness you show one another every day. We know that same generosity will carry us through this transition.

We will be sharing more around our strategy and structure in the coming weeks and appreciate your continued commitment and focus. 

Thank you for everything you bring to this team. We’re confident that, together, we’ll build an even stronger future.

Dana and Josh

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CashorTrade, Fan-to-Fan Ticket Exchange, Names Two Execs to Leadership
Music

CashorTrade, Fan-to-Fan Ticket Exchange, Names Two Execs to Leadership

by jummy84
written by jummy84

Face value ticket exchange CashorTrade has added two major names to its leadership ranks as the fan-first ticketing platform continues to gain traction across the live music industry. Industry veterans Andrew Dreskin — best known as co-founder and former CEO of Ticketfly and TicketWeb — and Craig Snyder, formerly of Intellitix and Lyte, have joined the company’s executive team in key leadership roles.

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Dreskin joins as strategic advisor while Snyder takes on the role of vp of business development & partnerships. In his role, Snyder will focus on expanding alliances with artists, promoters and festivals that share the company’s commitment to equitable access to live events.

“When veterans like Dreskin and Snyder join forces with a grassroots platform like CashorTrade, it’s a clear signal that the face value movement is no longer fringe — it’s the future,” said Brando Rich, co-founder of CashorTrade, in a statement. “Their expertise will help us scale our mission to make live events more accessible, equitable, and community-driven.”

Snyder added that CashorTrade’s fan-first foundation, founded in 2009, now has more than 1 million verified members. “Throughout my career, I’ve worked to tackle one of the industry’s biggest challenges — scalping and sky-high resale prices that hurt everyone: fans, artists, and venues,” he said. “CashorTrade is built differently. Whether a show is sold out or not, it gives fans a legitimate place to exchange tickets at fair prices while helping promoters fill seats. I’m looking forward to building partnerships that expand this community and make CashorTrade’s Gold Membership even more essential for live music fans.”

Billboard‘s Live Music Summit will be held in Los Angeles on Nov. 3. For tickets and more information, visit https://www.billboardlivemusicsummit.com/2025/home-launch.

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Tom Rothman
TV & Streaming

Sony CEO Tom Rothman on Hollywood Execs Depiction in ‘The Studio’

by jummy84
written by jummy84

Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group CEO Tom Rothman knows what it takes to be a studio exec, and he called out the way people in the role are depicted in The Studio.

Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s Hollywood satire series follows Matt Remick (Rogen), the new executive of Continental Studios who struggles to run the fictional company.

“In each one of those episodes, there is a kernel of brilliant, blinding truth, and that’s what makes great satire,” Rothman told Letterboxd in an interview published on Thursday. “The show is wonderfully satiric.”

While he was able to admire “that kernel,” Rothman said that “everything else is horseshit.” He continued, “Maybe some days, but most days we’re not morons.”

Despite his issues with the portrayal of studio execs, Rothman insisted he was able to view the Apple TV+ series “with the sense of humor intended.” In fact, he even referenced The Studio while giving a presentation in March.

“When I took the stage a few months ago at CinemaCon, I walked out and said, ‘Hi, everybody, I’m Seth Rogen!’ which was good for a laugh there,” he said, referring to Rogen’s character on the show. During the final two episodes of Season 1, Remick presented at the Las Vegas exhibitors’ conference.

Meanwhile, Rothman also said that The Studio accurately depicts Remick’s undying passion for cinema despite the persistent mistakes he’s made as an executive. “What it gets right is that there’s a fundamental truth of studio executives trying to do the right thing, and there being many, many obstacles to doing [so],” Rothman said. “The difference there is it depicts a great deal of moral compromise in pursuing that. That’s not really the way it is. Most people are people like me, who love movies, have a lot of integrity and are just trying to do the best we can.”

Season 1 of The Studio was critically acclaimed and nabbed 23 nominations at the 77th Emmy Awards. Additionally, the show made headlines for featuring an all-star cast of guest stars including Martin Scorsese, Ron Howard, Zoë Kravitz, Anthony Mackie and Dave Franco.

Following the Emmy nominations, Rogen and Goldberg spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about tying the record with The Bear for most comedy nominations in a season.

“I think I’m still in shock a little bit, but it’s very, very, very nice. It’s not something that has been a part of our career, really, in any way, shape or form,” Rogen said. “We’ve had a lovely career despite awards, and so the fact that at this age, there’s a whole new novelty and level of recognition that we’ve never gotten is very nice, and it’s surreal that it’s for something that is so Hollywood specific.”

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