There’s a lot of movement going on at Fox, where Chief Executive Jim Gianopulos will step down from his post next year, replaced by Stacey Snider, who was brought on less than two years ago as co-chairman, the LA Times reports.
Before joining Fox in late 2014, Snider was co-chair and chief executive of Steven Spielberg’s DreamWorks Studios. Before DreamWorks, she led Universal Pictures. Snider, the LA Times says, now represents only one of two female executives running a major studio, joining Universal Pictures Chairman Donna Langley. Snider will also be the first woman to have headed two major film studios once she takes over the role.
“This is the right job for her, and she should be head of a studio,” said Laura Martin, a media analyst for Needham & Co. who covers the studio. “Kudos to them for seeing that.”
The change comes along with a some structural upheaval that the studio has experienced in recent months. James and Lachlan Murdoch, sons of media mogul Rupert Murdoch, are in the process of taking over for their father, with James becoming CEO about a year ago, and Lachlan acting alongside Rupert as executive chairman. With these changes came the layoffs of about 400 employees in the film and television divisions.
So while the addition of a woman as the top brass of a major studio is a great thing, the jobs of other high-ranking women at Fox are in question. The Hollywood Reporter points out that, “The move is a coup for Snider but immediately raises questions about the future of Fox production president Emma Watts, who has overseen such hits as the ‘Planet of the Apes’ and ‘X-Men’ franchises as well as the February smash ‘Deadpool.’ Elizabeth Gabler, who runs Fox 2000 (‘The Fault in Our Stars’), could go as well.” Nancy Utley, who co-heads specialty arm Fox Searchlight, is another high-ranking female executive with the company.
Gianopulos will stay in his current position until June, 2017, after which Snider will take over the position.