Josh Goldstine has officially been named head of worldwide marketing at Warner Bros. Pictures.
The veteran feature film marketer emerged as successor to former marketing head Blair Rich in late December, Variety previously reported. Goldstine will report to Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group Chairman Toby Emmerich, and will oversee all theatrical releases.
“Josh is an outstanding marketer, with an impressive track record of eventizing a broad range of movies to great success in both theaters and more recently on streaming platforms. He loves cinema, is a believer in the continued importance of the theatrical experience, and is incredibly deft at understanding and distilling filmmaker’s visions and intentions into attention-grabbing and results-delivering marketing campaigns,” said Emmerich. “He has a future-focused skill set that will help us strategically navigate our evolving business, launching both our theatrical films and HBO Max original movies. He is a great addition to the Pictures Group, and we can’t wait for him to get started.”
Goldstine will lead all marketing campaigns for global theatrical releases from Warner Bros Pictures, New Line Cinema, DC-Based Films and Warner Animation Group, as well as for HBO Max original features. Goldstine’s oversight includes Warner Bros. Pictures’ worldwide creative advertising, publicity, media, global digital, global promotions, worldwide research and multi-cultural groups.
Goldstine has no small task ahead for 2021, as the studio will concurrently release films in cineplexes that remain open, as well as on streaming sister HBO Max for a 30-day exclusive window. Goldstine was already consulting on Q1 films including Denzel Washington’s “The Little Things,” the animated “Tom & Jerry” and the awards player “Judas and the Black Messiah.”
Given the unprecedented hybrid model — which arrived with shock and outcry — that Warners in set to embark on, its become clear in recent weeks to Emmerich and WarnerMedia Studios and Networks Group CEO Ann Sarnoff that a solid marketing strategy is crucial.
Goldstine will be overseeing rollouts for the likes of “Dune,” starring Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya, “The Matrix 4,” Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “In the Heights,” “Suicide Squad” and more.
This new role is a return to a top studio for Goldstine, who has previously held positions at Sony and Universal Pictures. Goldstine was wrongfully terminated from the latter in March 2018, an arbitration judge ruled, following an investigation by Universal into alleged misconduct. In January 2020 an arbitration judge ruled in his favor and awarded him a reported $20 million in damages. The specifics of the judgement are sealed.
Goldstine is widely known as a skilled marketer, who launched campaigns for “Jurassic World,” “Despicable Me” and the “Fast and Furious” franchises at Universal.