Chris Petrikin, longtime chief communications officer for 20th Century Fox, is joining Paramount Pictures as executive vice president of global communications and corporate branding.
He will report to Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jim Gianopulos in the newly created post. He will work closely with Gianopulos and Paramount’s film and television leadership to develop the studio’s corporate brand and global communications strategies. Petrikin begins his new role on Monday.
Gianopulos said, “Chris is a deft strategist and consummate professional with vast insight into the entertainment and media industries. I had the pleasure of working with Chris for many years and he is a valued and trusted advisor, with the strategic vision to further Paramount’s future. I look forward to working with him to shape the company’s narrative and lead our global communications efforts.”
Katie Martin Kelley, the studio’s executive VP of domestic publicity, will continue to oversee all aspects of film publicity.
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Petrikin departed Fox at the end of last year after nearly a decade in the post and announced that he was forming a strategic communications and crisis management consultancy.
In his new executive role, Petrikin will be re-teaming with former Fox Filmed Entertainment chairman Gianopulos, who left the studio last year and was named chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures in late March, succeeding Brad Grey. Grey, who had left in February after running the studio for 12 years, died of cancer in May at age 59.
Petrikin joined Fox in 2007 from the William Morris Agency to oversee corporate communications, media relations, trade advertising, awards campaigns, special events, and charitable activities. He joined William Morris in 2002 after working as a reporter and editor for several publications, including Variety, Daily Variety, Inside.com, and Inside Magazine.
