Pulse Films Founders & CEOs Depart

Following VICE Media Group’s acquisition of Pulse Films, Thomas Benski and Marisa Clifford, the company’s founders and CEOs, are stepping down after 16 years at the helm.

The longtime partners and friends founded Pulse Films in 2005 and sold controlling interest in Pulse to VICE Media Group in 2016. VICE has now completed that acquisition.

Pulse Films will continue as a distinct and independent brand but will now join the portfolio of businesses as part of VICE Studios, led by President Kate Ward.

Benski will continue to work with Pulse in a partnership to executive produce and co-produce future and existing projects, including Gangs of London and the feature Perfect, directed by Olivia Wilde.

Benski said: “Leaving Pulse Films is for us a watershed moment. When we launched Pulse Films 16 years ago, our ambitious goal was to create a welcoming home for the most creative talent in front of and behind the camera and to make elevated, indelible work for a global audience, and we are so proud to have done so with the help of the most gifted team of professionals and partners imaginable.”

Clifford said: “When Thomas and I first founded Pulse, never could I have envisioned all that we would go on to create together, the stories we would tell, the relationships we would build. We’re profoundly thankful to our Pulse family, who are the greatest of people, and to the VICE Media Group for believing in our incredible team. We wish VICE Media Group and the entire Pulse family the best of luck and look forward to great collaborations in the future.”

Ward commented: “A huge thank you to Thomas and Marisa for everything they have done over the past 16 years—along with their team they have built Pulse films into one of the world’s leading creative businesses, celebrated for their work across genres and all forms of entertainment. 2022 is set to be Pulse’s biggest year ever, and I look forward to working with the outstanding Pulse leadership and wider team as they continue to shape the future of visual storytelling.”

Nancy Dubuc, CEO of VICE Media Group, added: “We are grateful to Thomas and Marisa for their enormous contributions and with Kate and the world-class executive team in place, the legacy that the founders built will ensure that Pulse grows to new heights.”