Universal Studio Group Adds to Executive Team

Universal Studio Group (USG) has added to its executive team with the hiring of Paul Getto as executive VP of strategy and business development.

Getto will manage a team that identifies, prioritizes and executes strategic initiatives, business development opportunities and investment planning across Universal Television, UCP, Universal Television Alternative Studio and, in partnership with the U.K.-based management team, Universal International Studios (UIS), including NBCUniversal Formats. He will report to Bradley Melnick, chief financial officer.

Getto’s team will formulate business recommendations for studio leadership based on analysis and modeling of emerging industry trends, expansion opportunities, strategic investments and internal business performance improvement. He will also be responsible for aligning with executive leaders across NBCUniversal to source and drive strategic initiatives supporting the company’s overall objectives.

Getto joins from Focus Features, where he was executive VP of business operations. Before that, he rose from analyst to VP of film strategy and operations at Universal Filmed Entertainment Group. Prior to that, he was director of development and production at Participant. He began at Focus Features in 2003 as a manager of creative affairs and was elevated to director of development.

“Paul’s industry expertise and business acumen have solidified his stellar reputation for delivering lofty strategic objectives,” Melnick said. “We’re excited to welcome him to the USG team to guide our top-notch executives as we continue driving revenue, scale and vision for NBCU.”

“I thoroughly enjoy being part of NBCUniversal, and Universal Studio Group is an incredible component of the overall business,” Getto added. “I am excited to leverage my experience and network to add value to this impressive team.”