Par's topsy-turvy tie-up
D'Works staff is riding high
In most acquisitions, the bloodletting comes at the company being acquired. But with Paramount's takeover of DreamWorks, it's mostly Par's staff that's being shown the door.
Latest cuts came Feb. 7, as 109 of the 129 staffers in Par's distribution unit were let go. While the axe fell on other departments at both studios, the total number of casualties is nowhere near that number.
Longtime Par distribution honcho Wayne Lewellen exited in December after 33 years, replaced by DreamWorks distrib topper Jim Tharp. Most expected Tharp to bring over some of the execs that worked under him.
But last week's cuts pointed up the ascendency of DreamWorks in the new-model Paramount.
"They are not just emptying the pool a little bit, they are changing the water," says one former Par staffer. "It's a clear sign that Steven (Spielberg) and Jeffrey (Katzenberg) are protecting their people."
Indeed, there's persistent talk that Katzenberg is lining up to assume a larger role at the new Par.
It's true that more people have lost their jobs at Par than at DreamWorks. But in Par's defense, the latter was already a smaller operation.
And that's why observers are keeping an eye on Spielberg and Katzenberg's influence on who stays and who goes at the new Par; DreamWorks is a smaller company that has always operated on the principle that it's a "family."
Everyone's anxious to see what the new family rules will be.
