Paramount Hires Lionsgate’s Shaun Barber as Domestic Distribution Chief

Paramount Pictures has named longtime Lionsgate executive Shaun Barber as head of domestic film distribution.

In his new role, he will oversee the studio’s distribution strategy and operations in North America for all big screen releases, including December’s “The SpongeBob Movie: Finding SquarePants” and upcoming titles like “PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie” and “Aang: The Last Airbender.”

Barber succeeds Chris Aronson, the veteran executive who will leave his post at Paramount on Dec. 1 as part of the management shakeup surrounding the company’s $8 billion merger with Skydance.

Barber, who starts Dec. 1, will work closely with the studio’s head of international theatrical distribution, Mark Viane. Barber and Viane will report directly to Josh Goldstine, Paramount’s new president of marketing and worldwide distribution.

“Shaun is a deeply respected leader who has spent his career building meaningful partnerships in the exhibition business and the industry at large,” Goldstine said. “He brings extensive expertise in national distribution strategy and will help us strengthen our cinema business and deliver exceptional experiences for moviegoers. »

Barber was most recently at Lionsgate as co-president of worldwide theatrical distribution. During his 18 years at Lionsgate and its subsidiary Summit Entertainment, he worked on hit franchises such as “John Wick,” “The Hunger Games” and “Twilight,” as well as original hits like “Knives Out,” “La La Land” and “The Hurt Locker.”

Barber began his career at 20th Century Fox in New York before moving to Los Angeles in 1998 to work at Warner Bros. There, he spent nearly a decade in theatrical distribution and worked on such films as “Harry Potter,” “The Matrix,” “Batman Begins” and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” He joined Summit Entertainment in 2007 and helped launch the company’s domestic distribution arm, which was acquired by Lionsgate in 2012.

“I am honored to join Paramount Pictures at this defining moment in its storied history,” said Barber. “I look forward to collaborating with the exceptional team who will guide the studio’s next phase of growth. Along with our exhibition partners, we are committed to championing and elevating the power of the theatrical experience for audiences around the world.”