Stacey Snider Begins Job Hunt On Paramount Lot
Today's LAT reports that Universal chair Stacey Snider, whose contract with the studio expires at the end of the year, has told boss Ron Meyer that she wants to play the field before possibly re-committing to him, and has given her lawyers the go-ahead to chat with Paramount about a new job. According to the Times, however, the job in question is not embattled, slow-starting president Gail Berman's (as pretty much everyone in the entertainment industry has been whispering for weeks now), but one to run DreamWorks. Paramount Emperor Brad Grey wouldn't discuss whether or not he's hot for Snider, but publicly defended Berman's job security:
Paramount chief Brad Grey, to whom Snider would report, also declined to discuss the possibility of hiring Snider. However, he was eager to deny rumors that Snider would be hired to replace Paramount President Gail Berman, a veteran television executive who has had a rocky transition to her new movie job.
"Gail has been a winner her entire career," Grey said. "She has my full support and confidence."
"However," continued Grey with unexpected candor after fastidiously adjusting a pen on his desk so that it was perfectly parallel with the edge of his desk blotter, "My tenure at Paramount has been a total fucking disaster, so I'm seriously considering giving Stacey my job and letting her sort out this mess. Who needs the hassle? I've always wanted to retire young to Wyoming, you know, buy a big old spread, mismanage a few hundred head of cattle, lay off some ranch hands...and I'm extremely confident I'd look pretty damn good in a cowboy hat. I've always thought that."
