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Paramount Skydance on Monday promoted two veteran labor relations execs, Nicole Lang and Sheldon Kasdan, to lead a new standalone division responsible for navigating the company’s relationships with entertainment unions.
Both have long tenures with the company. Lang has been head of industrial relations at Paramount Pictures since 2013, while Kasdan has been a top labor executive at CBS for a decade. Both will be co-heads of industrial relations for Paramount Skydance, reporting directly to Makan Delrahim, the company’s chief legal officer.
“Nicole and Sheldon have played a key role in navigating recent labor negotiations and strengthening our relationships with our partners across the industry,” Delrahim said in a statement. “Elevating Industrial Relations to a standalone division reflects both the importance of this work and our confidence in their continued leadership.”
Lang will be responsible for labor relations on behalf of the motion picture division and studio backlot operations, while Kasdan will do likewise for the company’s TV and media division. Both have long experiencing partnering with other studios through the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
“We’re incredibly grateful for our longstanding partnerships with the unions and guilds, and for the company’s recognition of Industrial Relations as a critical function that supports our business and our people,” the pair said in a joint statement. “We look forward to building on these relationships.”
The Paramount Skydance release included praise for both executives from the leaders of SAG-AFTRA, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and the Directors Guild of America.
“I congratulate Sheldon and Nicole on their well-deserved promotions,” said Russell Hollander, executive director of the DGA. “Both have been thoughtful, solutions-oriented partners across the bargaining table and as Trustees of the DGA-Producer Pension and Health Plans — helping navigate complex issues with professionalism and a shared commitment to finding common ground. I look forward to continuing our work together in their new roles.”
