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EXCLUSIVE: Deadline has learned that Blair Rich will be stepping down at the end of the year as president of Warner Bros. Pictures, Global Marketing and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. Rich is a highly respected executive in the marketing arena with strong relationships with filmmakers. She’s held the primary marketing title since January 2018, but has spent her entire 23-year career at Warner Bros. I understand the release isn’t acrimonious. She wanted a change, and now seemed like the right time as many of the settings she grew up with evolved. She tells her staff as you read this.
I confirmed with Warner Bros. and Deadline received the following statements:
“It was my greatest honor to spend the first chapter of my career at Warner Bros., but after 23 years it’s time for something new,” said Rich. “I am grateful to have worked with so many brilliant executives and I treasure the amazing filmmakers and artists who have passionately fueled this work with the goal of connecting global audiences to their remarkable shows and stories. More than anything, leading the most talented marketing team in the business has been the greatest privilege, and I know there is no limit to what they will continue to achieve in the future.
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Said Toby Emmerich, President, Warner Bros. Pictures Group: “Blair had an amazing run during his tenure at Warner Bros. by creating and executing a multitude of unique, compelling and award-winning campaigns. She is a thoughtful leader who is highly respected by her staff, peers and filmmakers. Blair has built a formidable team and set a standard of excellence that will remain his legacy here. We understand and support his desire to expand his horizons and wish him the best in what will no doubt be an exciting next step.
Rich walked out the door after getting top job with imaginative campaigns for Warner Bros. Hits including Best Picture nominee A star is born, and Crazy Rich Asians. She oversaw campaigns for other successes which included Joker, It, Inception, The Dark Knight Trilogy, and the Harry Potter franchise, to name a few.
Deadline received an internal memo Rich wrote to his colleagues:
MEMO TO BLAIR STAFF:
Twenty-three years ago, I entered the Glass Building at the age of 22 as a Marketing Intern in International Theater Marketing. Of course, I already thought I had a lot of experience after doing an internship at 18 in the Western Distribution branch of Jeff Goldstein, followed by several stays at the European marketing office in London. I was ready to take on the world! I remember sitting in my cupboard making my own stationery that just said “Marketing” as the headline lest nobody take me seriously if the “Trainee” label was there.
The rest is history.
More than 450 campaigns later, a few things stand out:
I have been surrounded and supported by the best leaders in the company and I deeply appreciate their leadership, partnership and collaboration.
I can’t believe how lucky I was to work with so many of the most amazing and brilliant artists of our time. My passion for filmmakers and their art is limitless. I have always been impressed by the responsibility they have given me to translate their vision, years in the making, to the public. The leap of faith and trust that requires is humbling and will never ruin me. They shaped my worldview, taught me to take daring and daring risks, and encouraged me to be fearless in my belief in the power of history.
I am most proud to have led the most dynamic and talented marketing team in the business. Together, we have pushed the limits, broken records and dreamed a little bigger. You are all exceptional and I will always be your biggest fan, your loudest cheerleader and a true believer in what you can achieve. As the business evolves, know that you have an unbridled capacity for transcendent creativity, to craft unprecedented strategy and innovation, and to create cultural moments that make the world stop and go. sees. Your ability to connect to the public is limitless.
On a more personal note, I love you all, and I am very grateful for your trust in this trip. You are extraordinary and I believe in all of you endlessly.
It has been the greatest odyssey and I can’t wait to see the next adventure.
With love and gratitude,
Blair
***
This follows reports earlier this week that two senior officials in the department, WW Co-Chair JP Richards, and Executive Vice President of Animation and Family Jim Gallagher will be leaving in February, as part of an ongoing restructuring of WarnerMedia.
Rich oversaw global creative advertising for Warner Bros. Pictures Group, advertising, media, global digital, global promotions, global research and multicultural groups, management of titles produced by Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema, as well as the studio. various production partners and films broadcast on HBOMax. She also oversees the Home Entertainment marketing operation.
Rich’s previous positions were President, Global Marketing, Warner Bros. Pictures and, prior to that, as Executive Vice President, Global Marketing. She was also Senior Vice President, Marketing and Creative Advertising for the Studio’s International Film Division, after serving as Vice President. The Georgetown University graduate joined Warner Bros. Pictures International as a marketing intern and rose through the ranks.
Rich is the daughter of the late television mogul Lee Rich, who ran Lorimar Television and then MGM / UA, and won an Emmy for her production. The Waltons.
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