Barbara Zaneri, Chief Program Acquisitions Officer at Paramount, is leaving the company after 25 years.
Zaneri is leaving to focus full-time on the nonprofit that she founded – the Gold Star Services Network, which honors Gold Star Families who have lost a loved one due to U.S. military service.
The news was revealed by Paramount Global Co-CEO Chris McCarthy in a note to staff, seen by Deadline.
McCarthy called the move “bittersweet.”
“Anyone fortunate enough to work with Barb, knows she is a true force of nature, blazing trails across the industry and leading with vision, grit and empathy,” he wrote.
Paramount said that Zaneri’s exit is unrelated to the recent layoffs at the company, which saw it lay off 3.5% of its U.S. workforce, on top of the 15% it shed last year, as it struggles in the challenging media environment and under its own protracted ownership saga.
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Zaneri started working at the company at Spike TV, which was then known as TNN, joining from USA Broadcasting, which was then owned by Barry Diller. In 2014, she helped launch a centralized Program Acquisitions Group at Viacom Media Networks, leading it as EVP, Program Acquisitions, alongside Comedy Central’s David Bernath. She was promoted to Chief Program Acquisitions Officer in 2021.
McCarthy paid tribute to her for “securing landmark deals” for acquisitions including Friends, The Office, Seinfeld, The Big Bang Theory, Family Guy, and Two and a Half Men and recently closed deals for Paramount series Tracker, FBI, and Ghosts. “But beyond the deals and the accolades, what truly stands out is the impact Barb has had on the people around her. In addition to being a legendary dealmaker, she is a generous mentor, a fierce advocate for others, and a dear friend. Her influence has shaped the way we think, collaborate, and lead – and her impact has resonated deeply within the company,” he added.
Following Zaneri’s exit, Virginia Lazalde-McPherson will expand her role. Lazalde-McPherson, who was most recently EVP and Head of Strategy & Business Operations, becomes Chief Acquisitions Officer for Showtime and MTV Entertainment Studios.
McCarthy said that Lazalde-McPherson has been “instrumental in guiding the brand through some of its most transformative years” including the move to bring Showtime into Paramount+.
He called her a “key creative and strategic force” behind series such as Yellowjackets, The Chi and Dexter: Original Sin and “played a leading role in bringing back” Michael C. Hall for Dexter: Resurrection.
Lazalde-McPherson joined the company as EVP, Business Affairs in 2019 after having spent three years at YouTube.
“Virginia leads with clarity, collaboration, and a deep understanding of where the industry is headed,” he wrote. “We couldn’t be more excited to see her take on this well-deserved and broader leadership position.”