Berman Steps Down at Paramount

LOS ANGELES, January 11: Gail
Berman, the president of Paramount Pictures, has stepped down after just 18
months at the Viacom-owned studio.

Berman left FOX, where she
was president of entertainment, in March 2005. She was lured to the studio by
the then newly installed chairman and CEO, former agent Brad Grey.

According to reports,
Berman still has two more years remaining on her contract. Her departure is
effective immediately, and she is said to be planning to start her own company.

Her appointment to the
studio in 2005 was a surprise for the industry, given her lack of feature film
experience. Press reports also indicate that Berman was unhappy in the
position, with Grey not giving her the authority she felt she needed to do her
job effectively.

This is the latest drama
for Grey, whose tenure has been marked by incidents such as Viacom Chairman
Sumner Redstone’s axing of Tom Freston, Grey’s immediate boss, as well as
Redstone’s public feud with Tom Cruise. Grey has also been linked with indicted
private investigator Anthony Pellicano.

Berman will not be
replaced at the studio. Instead, Brad Weston, co-president of production, is
expanding his duties, reporting to Grey. The other co-president, Allison
Shearmur, is said to be stepping down.

Grey said of Berman’s
departure in a statement: “This has been an extraordinary two years for
Paramount, but after the DreamWorks purchase and the evolution of Nick movies
and MTV films into our label structure, Gail’s job became too small for her.
She’s a great talent.”