Longtime Warner Bros. executives Dana Nussbaum, Christian Davin and John Stanford have officially been installed to lead the motion picture group’s marketing and creative strategy teams.
Warner Bros. co-chiefs Michael DeLuca and Pam Abdy announced internally on Wednesday that Nussbaum and Davin have been named co-heads of global motion picture marketing, and Stanford will serve as head of global creative strategy. The trio have performed these roles in an interim capacity since January, when the studio experienced a major shakeup of its executive ranks as marketing chief Josh Goldstine (who’d shepherded the box office behemoth “Barbie”) stepped down and the studio’s head of international distribution Andrew Cripps also departed his role.
In a memo to staff, DeLuca and Abdy congratulated Nussbaum, Davin and Stanford on their “great success” during their interim appointment.
“They and their teams showcased innovation across every marketing discipline with the most recent campaigns for ‘Minecraft,’ ‘Sinners,’ and ‘Final Destination: Bloodlines,’ and ignited audiences everywhere. They are tremendous leaders who will bring that same level of expertise to all of Warner Bros. releases moving forward,” DeLuca and Abdy write, in part.
“Their efforts, along with our teams across the world, have helped Warner Bros. Pictures achieve one of its best years, with nearly $2 [billion] earned at the global box office so far this year,” the memo continues.
Indeed, after a rough end to 2024 and start to 2025 with “Joker: Folie à Deux” “Alto Knights” and “Mickey 17,” the PG-rated video game adaptation “Minecraft,” Ryan Coogler’s vampire thriller “Sinners” and the most recent “Final Destination” installment have been major box office winners for the studio, contributing $954.4 million, $363.8 million and $280 million to that total, respectively.
And, “there is much more to be excited about on the horizon,” DeLuca and Abdy promise, touting the studio’s upcoming slate of films, including Apple’s “F1,” which is off to the races this weekend. On that horizon, Nussbaum, Davin and Stanford will be responsible for promoting a mix of comic book adaptations (DC Studios’ “Superman”), franchise fare (“Mortal Kombat” and a final “Conjuring” movie) and original swings (Zach Cregger’s “Weapons” and Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another.”)
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