United Artist CEO Paula Wagner Quits

Paula Wagner, the less public half of United Artists ownership has quit as the CEO of the recently revived studio.

“As much as I’ve enjoyed my time as an executive, I have longed to return to my true love, which is making movies, so that’s what I’ve decided to do,” her statement continued. “I still believe in our vision for UA, and I am confident that [MGM CEO] Harry Sloan and our colleagues at MGM will see that vision through to reality.”

I guess as CEO of a studio she wasn’t “making movies” but now she will be? I wonder what exactly that is supposed to mean. Studios make movies, Producers make movies, Actors make movies, Directors make movies. I wonder what she will do?

The buzz says that she wasn’t a good fit for the CEO deal and I am starting to wonder if the troubles UA has been facing have been at least in part because of her poor decisions. So far their movies have either flopped or been plagued with troubles before it even comes out.

She is bowing out respectfully and that might be that they gave her an out before they gave her the boot. At least she still has ownership of the struggling studio. If they ever make anything out of it, she will at least get some share of the cash, just not the CEO paycheque on top of it.