Skydance Animation head John Lasseter and his CEO David Ellison have named longtime executive Holly Edwards as president of the division, Variety has learned.
Edwards replaces outgoing president Bill Damaschke, and will serve as Lasseter’s right hand in business dealings, as the former Pixar head sets his creative goals, an individual familiar with the company said.
Skydance, owned by Oracle heir David Ellison, declined to comment on the matter. Edwards’ promotion was announced at an informal company meeting on Thursday. She previously served as head of production. The hire marks one of Lasseter’s first choices as leader of the division. Lasseter’s own hire was met with backlash in Hollywood in light of accusations of misconduct against him during his time as Pixar CEO.
Edwards has been with the Skydance since it opened, and has more than twenty years in films and television production under her belt. At DreamWorks Animation, under Jeffrey Katzenberg, Edwards managed various aspects of film production across three locations worldwide. Slate titles she participated in include “Kung Fu Panda,” “Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa,” “Monsters vs Aliens,” and “How to Train Your Dragon.”
She was a unit producer on “Mr. Peabody and Sherman,” “Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted,” and “Megamind.” She co-produced the Justin Timberlake and Anna Kendrick adventure “Trolls.”
Deadline Hollywood first reported the news.