Paramount TV Studios Head Matt Thunell Finalizes Leadership Team Amid Sweeping Post-Merger Layoffs

Executive Overhaul Signals New Era for Paramount TV Studios

The leadership structure at Paramount Television Studios (PTVS) has been fundamentally reshaped, with studio head Matt Thunell announcing his core executive team following the massive organizational changes triggered by the recent merger between Paramount Global and Skydance Media. This restructuring arrives concurrently with sweeping layoffs across the company, emphasizing a clear mandate for efficiency and streamlined operations in the newly configured studio environment.

Thunell’s announcement, delivered via an internal memo to staff, solidifies the studio’s focus on integrating development, production, and business affairs under a tighter, more focused leadership group. The move is designed to eliminate redundancies and accelerate the greenlighting process, crucial steps as Paramount seeks profitability in a highly competitive streaming landscape.

The New Core Leadership Roster

The reorganization elevates several key executives while consolidating responsibilities previously spread across multiple departments. The new structure centers on three primary pillars: Development, Production, and Business Operations, all reporting directly to Thunell.

The most significant appointments and expanded roles include:

• Jenna Santoianni, Head of Development: Santoianni, a highly respected executive, will now oversee all scripted development for PTVS. Her expanded role is critical, as she will be responsible for identifying and nurturing the next generation of hit series across all platforms, including Paramount+ and external buyers.
• Cheryl Stoessel, Head of Production: Stoessel will lead all physical production activities, ensuring that projects move efficiently from greenlight to delivery. This role is vital for managing the cost and logistics associated with high-budget television series.
• David Nevins, Chief Operating Officer (COO): Nevins, a veteran executive, takes on the crucial operational role, overseeing business affairs, finance, and strategy for the studio. This consolidation under the COO is a clear sign of the studio’s drive for financial discipline and strategic alignment.

Thunell emphasized that this team possesses the necessary experience and expertise to navigate the complex demands of modern television production, particularly in an environment demanding greater fiscal prudence.

“This team is built for the future—a future defined by creative excellence, strategic efficiency, and a relentless focus on delivering high-quality, impactful television,” Thunell wrote in his memo. “We are committed to supporting our creators and maximizing the value of every project we undertake.”

Context: Restructuring Amid Mass Layoffs

The leadership appointments cannot be separated from the broader context of the Paramount Global/Skydance merger. The integration of the two entities necessitated a significant reduction in overlapping roles, leading to substantial layoffs across various divisions, including PTVS.

The cuts are part of a company-wide effort to realize hundreds of millions of dollars in synergy savings projected following the acquisition. For the television studio specifically, the reorganization means fewer layers of management and a more direct reporting structure to Thunell. This environment of consolidation is characteristic of the current era in Hollywood, where major media companies are prioritizing profitability and subscriber retention over sheer volume of content.

The pressure to produce successful, high-impact shows with fewer resources is now paramount. The promotions of Santoianni and Stoessel, both internal executives, signal a commitment to institutional knowledge and rewarding proven performance, even as the company undergoes painful staff reductions elsewhere.

Strategic Implications for Content Creation

The new, leaner structure under Thunell suggests several strategic shifts for Paramount TV Studios, impacting how content is developed and produced:

1. Increased Focus on Franchise IP: With fewer resources and a focus on maximizing return on investment, the studio is expected to lean heavily on developing content derived from established Paramount intellectual property (IP), which offers a higher probability of success and built-in audience recognition.
2. Faster Decision-Making: By consolidating development and production oversight under fewer, highly empowered executives, the time required to greenlight a project and move it into production should theoretically decrease, allowing PTVS to react more quickly to market demands.
3. Closer Alignment with Paramount+: While PTVS produces content for external buyers, the primary strategic goal remains feeding the Paramount+ streaming service. The streamlined leadership will ensure greater vertical integration and alignment with the streaming platform’s content needs, prioritizing shows that drive subscriptions.

This reorganization is not merely cosmetic; it reflects a fundamental shift toward a more financially disciplined and strategically focused content engine designed to thrive in the post-merger media landscape of 2025.

Key Takeaways

The reorganization at Paramount TV Studios marks a critical step in the post-merger integration process, focusing on efficiency and strategic clarity:

• Studio Head: Matt Thunell has finalized his core executive team.
• Context: The changes are driven by the need for synergy savings and efficiency following the Paramount/Skydance merger and accompanying mass layoffs.
• Key Appointments: Jenna Santoianni (Development) and Cheryl Stoessel (Production) are elevated to critical leadership roles, centralizing creative and physical production oversight.
• Strategic Goal: The new structure aims to streamline operations, accelerate the greenlighting process, and focus content creation on high-value, high-impact projects, particularly for Paramount+.

What This Means for the Industry

This move by Paramount TV Studios is indicative of a wider trend across major Hollywood studios in 2025. As the era of unlimited content spending wanes, media conglomerates are demanding greater accountability and efficiency from their production arms. The successful integration of PTVS’s new leadership team will be a key indicator of whether large-scale mergers can successfully deliver promised cost savings without sacrificing creative output. The industry will be watching closely to see if this leaner structure can maintain the studio’s track record of producing successful, high-quality series.