Warner Bros. Promotes Courtenay Valenti to President of Production and Development, Bring Back Kevin McCormick

Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. has promoted longtime executive Courtenay Valenti to president of production and development, and the studio has also hired Kevin McCormick as executive VP of production and senior advisor, Warners announced this week, confirming an earlier report from the Tracking Board.

Valenti will report directly to Toby Emmerich, president and chief content officer of Warner Bros. Pictures Group, while McCormick will report to Valenti.

“Courtenay is one of the longest-tenured creative executives at Warner Bros. and highly respected and valued by the incredible filmmakers she has worked with over the years. She is a natural leader for our motion picture group,” said Emmerich.

Valenti’s new responsibilities give her oversight and management of Warner Bros. Pictures’ development team and budget; she will also works closely with Emmerich on overall slate development. Valenti has been with the company 28 years and most recently served as co-president of production, a post to which she was promoted in 2016.

Valenti has also been a key creative force behind the Warner Animation Group, shepherding such titles as The LEGO Batman Movie from director Chris McKay, and The LEGO Movie from directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller.

During her tenure at the studio, Valenti has supervised a wide variety of films, including Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Mad Max: Fury Road, the last four films in the blockbuster Harry Potter series, and the Oscar-winning animated film Happy Feet, as well as Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby and many others.

McCormick previously spent more than a decade at Warner Bros. before leaving to launch his own film production company and produce live theater. He will serve as a senior consultant to Mark Kaufman, who heads Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures and reports to Emmerich.

McCormick is a producer on Theatre Ventures’ current Broadway show, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, having helped mount the show’s London production in 2013. He will also serve as a producer on the division’s upcoming Beetlejuice.

“As both a successful creative executive and producer, Kevin has developed relationships with key filmmakers across the industry, while honing his exceptional taste and sensibilities. Most recently, he has been working with Mark Kaufman to bring Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to audiences here and abroad. I’ve known Kevin for years, I trust his instincts and know he’ll be a fantastic addition to Warner Bros. Pictures,” said Emmerich.

McCormick most recently served as president of Langley Park Productions, the WB-based production company responsible Gangster Squad, The Lucky One, and the 2011 remake of Arthur starring Russell Brand and Helen Mirren.

McCormick previously served as president of production at Warner Bros. Assuming that post in January 2008, he had day-to-day oversight of, and responsibility for, WB’s creative team and the movies produced by the studio, including such award-winning and critically acclaimed films as Gran Torino, The Dark Knight, The Hangover and Sherlock Holmes.

McCormick began his career as an executive producer on the film Saturday Night Fever, and he first joined Warner Bros. in 1999 as EVP of production.

 Jeff Sneider | Editor in Chief