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Kevin MacLellan, the veteran media exec who led Paramount’s global content distribution and international networks, is departing the newly merged Skydance Corp., Variety has learned.
The larger international structure
for the new Skydance Corp. has yet to be determined, according to a source familiar with the company. Variety previously reported that Skydance CEOs David Ellison and Ynon Kreiz “are looking to thoroughly reorganize the international piece of the newly formed organization.”
While some of Skydance’s international leadership is still TBD, all networks and streaming platforms outside the U.S. will be under the purview of JB Perrette, the former WBD executive who is co-chair and chief business officer of both Skydance TV and Skydance DTC streaming divisions.
Gerhard Zeiler, who has served as Warner Bros. Discovery’s president of international, is expected to leave the company as well. Zeiler recently announced his intention to enter Austrian politics, saying he would bid for leadership of Austria’s ruling Social Democratic Party.
Skydance was formed via the merger of Paramount and WBD in a deal that officially closed Oct. 2. A day prior, Ellison and Kreiz announced the merged company’s top-level management team, followed by news about additional appointments and departures since then.
On Thursday, the company said Jay Askinasi will lead ad sales for Skydance; former WBD exec David Decker will head up content sales; and Ray Hopkins, who led Paramount’s domestic networks and streaming distribution groups, will oversee distribution. Scott Miller, who served as Warner Bros Discovery’s president of networks and streaming distribution, is leaving the company as are Ryan Gould and Bobby Voltaggio, who served as presidents of U.S. advertising sales at WBD.
MacLellan joined Paramount in August 2025 with Skydance Media’s Paramount Global acquisition, reporting directly to David Ellison. In his role as president of global content distribution and international, MacLellan directed worldwide licensing of Paramount, CBS and Skydance film and television content across streaming and digital transactional platforms. He also held direct operating responsibility for Paramount’s international cable networks including MTV, Comedy Central, and Nickelodeon as well as its commercial broadcast businesses, Channel 5 (UK) and Network 10 (Australia).
Prior to joining Paramount, MacLellan advised RedBird Capital Partners on its investment in Paramount, providing “strategic and industry expertise throughout the transaction, including valuation analysis,” as well as other entertainment-sector deals for the firm, according to his LinkedIn bio.
MacLellan previously worked at NBCUniversal for nearly two decades, most recently as chairman, global distribution and international. He left NBCU in 2020. MacLellan previously held senior roles at Sony Pictures and HBO and is a graduate of Marist College and Sussex University.
