The streamlining of CBS Studios and Paramount Television Studios’ operations continues. Deborah Aquila, who heads casting for PTVS, will become the head of casting for both CBS Studios and Paramount TV Studios. She will add the responsibilities most recently held by CBS Studios EVP Casting Meg Liberman who announced her retirement earlier today.
Aquila’s promotion was announced in a joint internal memo by David Stapf, President, CBS Studios and Nicole Clemens, President of Paramount Television Studios and Paramount+ Original Scripted Series.
This is the latest step in a process kicked off by the October Paramount Global restructuring in which both CBS Studios and PTVS were put under the purview of George Cheeks, President & CEO, CBS and CCO, News & Sports, Paramount+. Paramount Global CEO Bob Bakish stressed at the time that Paramount TV Studios “will continue to operate as a studio alongside CBS Studios.”
Still, the two studios underwent a round of layoffs in late November, with Cheeks that day describing the process as centralizing backend functions, stressing again that CBS Studios and PTVS will have their own separate creative teams.
Casting was one of the areas most impacted by the November layoffs, along with BA, legal and production.
Here is the note from Clemens and Stapf:
