Village Roadshow Entertainment Group has lost its lead showman. Steve Mosko, the veteran television and film executive who made his name at Sony, has departed his embattled company.
Sources told Variety that Mosko left his role as chief executive officer in recent days. The company, a producer on films including “Joker” and “The Matrix,” has been suffering serious cash flow issues since last fall. Majority owned by Vine Investments, Variety reported in December that Village Roadshow was on the verge of sanctions from the WGA over missed payments. Those penalties went into effect right before the holidays.
Mosko had no immediate comment on the matter. A spokesperson for Vine Investments did not immediately return a request for comment.
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Mosko took the VREG gig in 2018. Flushed with investment at the time, he grew the film and TV development teams and slates. He’s spent the better part of the last six months trying to salvage creative talent and projects, sources said. Mosko, well-liked and deeply experienced, will have his pick of new corporate jobs. Some individuals close to his thinking said he may take a stab at producing on his own.
In July, Vine completed a massive sale of some of its legacy entertainment assets — a parcel that includes the song catalogue of hitmaker Calvin Harris — to Shamrock Capital in a deal worth a reported $2.4 billion. Liquidity, evidently, is still an issue.
October reports said VREG had laid off a small number of staffers, mostly middle management. It is presently unclear what will become of major department heads, including leads of film and scripted and unscripted television.