Spotify Reorgs Podcast Content Studios, Tapping Parcast’s Max Cutler to Head Talk Creator Content

David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros Discovery, proclaimed the merged company as essentially the fifth broadcast network, and repeated his vow that the company would overcome any skepticism about its prospects.

Sacha Baron Cohen has partnered with Greg Daniels and Mike Judge of the newly formed Bandera Entertainment, as well as Michael Koman on the family-oriented animated special, Chelm: The Smartest Place on Earth for HBO Max and Cartoon Network.

Selome Hailu HBO Max and Cartoon Network announced a new family-oriented animated special called “Chelm: The Smartest Place on Earth” from Sacha Baron Cohen, Greg Daniels, Mike Judge and Michael Korman. Baron Cohen is set to star.“Chelm: The Smartest Place on Earth” is set in the mythical “Town of Fools” that has long existed in Yiddish folktakes and shares the original stories’ absurdist humor and interpretive questioning in a nod to Jewish intellectual traditions.

TruTV, a Warner Bros. Discovery brand, has ordered ten half-hour episodes of Semi Pro, a reality sitcom from Jersey Shore creator SallyAnn Salsano.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film WriterArchewell, the multi-vertical content and philanthropy operation founded by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, has hired Ashley Momtaheni to run global communications.In her new role as executive vice president, Momtaheni will oversee all communications efforts for the company’s numerous divisions — including the Archewell Foundation, Archewell Audio and Archewell Productions.She joins the Duke and Duchess of Sussex from the Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, where she currently serves as vice president of global communications and media relations.Prior to Universal, Momtaheni served as director of corporate communications at United Talent Agency. There, she was responsible for raising the profile of the company and its agents, and led internal and external communications strategies.

Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway invested about $2.6 billion in Paramount Global during the first quarter of 2022, according to a Securites and Exchange Commission filing that disclosed the quarterly stock trading activity of his Berkshire Hathaway holding company.The 91-year-old Buffett, who serves as the owner and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, has garnered the reputation of a value investor over his career, picking up shares in companies that he believes are undervalued or misunderstood by the markets.His investment in Paramount Global bodes well for the entertainment company as it continues to gain steam in Hollywood’s ongoing streaming wars, using its growing service Paramount+ to compete against Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, NBCUniversal, Netflix, Apple and more in the digital space.

financial filings made public on Monday.Paramount is the third company with a major streaming service that Berkshire Hathaway has invested in, joining Apple with its service Apple TV+ and Amazon with Amazon Prime. Paramount Global reported in quarterly earnings earlier this month that Showtime and Paramount+ had a combined 62 million subscribers. Buffett also more than quadrupled his stake in scandal-ridden video game company Activision Blizzard ahead of its planned acquisition by Microsoft.

McG, who has been busy producing movies for Netflix, returned to broadcast television this season with three pilots on three different networks for his Wonderland Sound and Vision banner, True Lies, based on James Cameron’s 1994 movie, on CBS; Not Dead Yet starring Gina Rodriguez on ABC; and the Jensen Ackles-produced Supernatural prequel The Winchesters on the CW. Over the last couple of days, all three were picked up to series. Additionally, BET+ just picked up Wonderland’s series Average Joe, created by Robb Cullen and starring Deon Cole.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentJohannes Larcher and Luis Duran, respectively HBO Max’s general managers of international and Latin America, are set to exit the streamer as part of the ongoing shakeup at Warner Bros. Discovery, Variety has confirmed.The two top HBO Max execs are the latest layoffs to surface as a new leadership team is being put in place at the merged behemoth by JB Perrette previously Discovery’s president and CEO of streaming and international and now appointed CEO and president of Warner Bros.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterBrad Wilson, HBO Max’s U.S. general manager and EVP of global data, CRM and growth, is exiting amid an ongoing shakeup at new company Warner Bros.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorSpotify is making management changes to bolster the leadership of its podcast content operations following the departure of Courtney Holt, who served as head of studios and video.Max Cutler, who joined Spotify in 2019 with its acquisition of Parcast, the scripted podcast studio he co-founded, has been promoted to head of talk creator content and partnerships for Spotify. In the new role, he will oversee the streamer’s emerging podcast creator ecosystem, licensed content, and work on new content initiatives. As part of his appointment, Spotify will form a “creator content” unit led by Cutler.Cutler previously was Parcast’s head of new content initiatives and managing director.

In the wake of last month’s news of Courtney Holt’s exit from Spotify, the company has made several moves in its exec structure as it continues to expand in podcasting and creator-driven content.

Warner Bros. Discovery’s Johanna Fuentes is leaving as Head of Global Communications for Studios and Networks Group after a transitional period. The departure is a result of a decision to decentralize the communications functions of the recently formed Warner Bros. Discovery whose communications teams will be announced later.

JP Richards has left his post as Apple’s Head of Film Marketing Strategy, having notified his team of his decision this morning, Deadline can confirm.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film WriterApple TV+ head of film marketing strategy JP Richards has resigned from his post, sources familiar with the tech giant tell Variety.Richards notified his team of his departure on Wednesday morning, one insider said. He joined the company in January 2021 from Warner Bros., reporting to Apple’s head of video marketing Chris Van Amburg.

Prince Harry is embracing being a girl dad. The Duke of Sussex recent flexed his acting muscles in a short promotional sketch for his non-profit organization, Travalyst, and showed his love for his baby daughter, Lilibet.In the video, Harry jogs through the forest when he is stopped in his tracks by a «rating agent» (played by star Rhys Darby), who grills him about having dropped a candy wrapper on a beach in New Zealand four years ago.The whole sketch is meant as an advertisement of sorts for Travalyst, which is a global initiative partnering with major travel booking websites that is seeking to rate different resort locations and travel destinations based on their ecological impact and how green they are.However, the one sweet detail that has really drawn attention is Harry's adorable T-shirt, which is emblazoned with «GIRL DAD» written in bold block stencil font.The sketch sees Harry himself getting rated by Darby, who gives him three stars at first — due to the candy wrapper incident — but then he earns another half-star for buying locally sourced honey and using minimal towels while on that same trip.According to Travalyst, the organization wants to be «the driving force that paves a new way to travel, helping everyone explore our world in a way that protects both people and places, and secures a positive future for destinations and local communities for generations to come.»The video comes a month before Harry and wife Meghan Markle are set to celebrate Lilibet's first birthday! Check out the video below for more on the happy family.

J. Kim Murphy Jake McDorman will star alongside Betty Gilpin in “Mrs. Davis,” Peacock’s upcoming drama series from Tara Hernandez and Damon Lindelof.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorIn today’s podcast roundup, “Batman Unburied” flies to the top of Spotify’s charts; HBO Max’s “The Staircase” gets a companion podcast; Slate’s “Slow Burn” Season 7 will unpack the history of Roe v. Wade; Audible set to release “Beast Master” investigative narrative podcast about “Ohio’s bear king”; and more.DC’s “Batman Unburied” superhero series soared to the top of the Spotify podcast charts in markets around the globe this week after its premiere — unseating “The Joe Rogan Experience,” the controversial show that is the streamer’s regular chart-topper. The thriller from David S. Goyer delves into the dark recesses of Bruce Wayne’s psyche with an all-new storyline.The first two episodes of the 10-ep “Batman Unburied” bowed May 3.

Puck’s Dylan Byers.The former Fox News journalist began hosting the interview show at the launch of CNN+, before the streaming service was shut down 30 days after it launched by parent company Warner Bros. Discovery.After a nearly two-decade run at Fox News, Wallace left the network in December 2021 for a job at CNN, where he was then positioned as an anchor for CNN+.Byers reports that in addition to hosting his show on HBO Max, Wallace will continue to do work for CNN as new CNN head Chris Licht begins to sort out where to deploy talent at the networks under the Warner Bros.

EXCLUSIVE: We hear on very good authority that Warner Bros. has taken a Jason Momoa project off the table after an intense bidding war, tentatively titled The Executioner. 

The Kardashians invade the Met Gala! Is this a sign that it may be over???? Will Cardi B‘s latest meltdown send her into retirement? There seems to be a clear winner in the Johnny Depp versus Amber Heard case. Did Jason Sudeikis purposely intend to embarrass his ex, Olivia Wilde? Margaret Cho joins Perez for a chat. And MORE! Watch!

Another top Warner exec, John Rogovin, is heading for the exits amid a major corporate shakeout following the merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery last month.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterThe major entertainment studios spoke out against Georgia’s “heartbeat” abortion bill in 2019, saying they would “rethink” their production plans in the state if the law ever went into effect.That moment appears to be approaching fast.On Monday night, Politico reported that a Supreme Court majority has signed on to a decision that would overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 opinion protecting the right to abortion. The Georgia law — which would outlaw abortions as early as six weeks into pregnancy — has been on hold pending the outcome of that case.

The Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival announced its 2022 lineup including Disney’s documentary Mija and the Warner Bros. Pictures/HBO Max film Father of the Bride bookending the celebration. LALIFF will run from June 1 to 5 at the TCL Chinese Theater and TCL Chinese 6 in Hollywood.

Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller is the latest DC Comics character getting the small screen treatment.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterViola Davis is eyeing a return to the role of Amanda Waller in her own spinoff series currently in the works at HBO Max, Variety has learned from sources.Exact plot details are mostly under wraps at this point, but sources say the show will build off of Waller’s appearance at the end of the “Suicide Squad” spinoff series “Peacemaker.”SPOILER ALERT: In the Season 1 finale of “Peacemaker,” Waller’s daughter and spy Adebayo (Danielle Brooks) outs her mother publicly for her work with Task Force X and the Suicide Squad. Davis made brief cameo appearances in the first and last episodes of the show.Davis would executive produce the series in addition to starring.