Paramount promotes Maguire to home entertainment president
PHYSICAL: Exec headed up international operations since 2006
By Marcy Magiera -- Video Business, 10/15/2009
OCT. 15 | PHYSICAL: Veteran international executive Dennis Maguire has been named president of Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment Worldwide, a post that has gone empty since division topper Kelley Avery’s exit from the studio in May.
Maguire
Maguire has been president of Paramount’s international home entertainment operations since 2006 and prior to that spent 23 years at Buena Vista Home Entertainment, including as president of international.
In his new role, Maguire holds operating responsibility for sales, marketing and distribution of packaged media for Paramount in the U.S. and the division’s 12 offices in other territories. He also will oversee the studio’s distribution of MTV Network Properties, CBS, PBS, Hasbro and DreamWorks Animation.
Several months ago, Paramount began talks with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, and possibly others, to take over the physical fulfillment of its product to retail and back-office functions such as billing and collections.
Paramount Pictures vice chairman Rob Moore, to whom Maguire reports, confirmed that Maguire will oversee an ongoing analysis of the division’s supply chain operations and its cost structures and will make moves to cut costs and achieve efficiencies in the studio’s distribution of physical goods. In any case, Paramount would retain its own brands and sales and marketing departments.
Maguire will also evaluate Paramount's trial revenue-sharing deal with rental kiosk operator Redbox.
“Dennis has an exceptional understanding of the home entertainment industry on a worldwide basis. He has been an integral part of the phenomenal growth of our international business, building strong relationships and overseeing our expansion into new regions,” Moore said.
No other staffing changes are expected, and Paramount will not name separate international and domestic chiefs under Maguire, Moore said. The studio cut its domestic president, Meagan Burrows, last December.
Under Maguire’s leadership, Paramount’s international division in 2007 topped $1 billion for the first time. He also advanced Paramount Home Entertainment’s business interests in Russia and China through partnerships with Universal Studios and Warner Bros., respectively.
