Keyes Hill-Edgar, a 25-year Viacom/Paramount Global veteran, is leaving as Chief Operating Officer at Paramount Media Networks & Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios.Hill-Edgar joins Chris McCarthy, Paramount Global Co-CEO and President of Showtime/MTV Entertainment, who is leaving when Skydance’s acquisition of Paramount Global is completed tomorrow, July 7, with his responsibilities divvied up among George Cheeks, Dana Goldberg and Cindy Holland.Two other top executives on McCarthy’s team, Nina L. Diaz, President of Content and Chief Creative Officer for Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios, and Liza Burnett Fefferman, EVP and Head of Communications for Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios and Paramount Media Networks, also are departing.In his role as COO, Hill-Edgar oversaw business planning, operations and strategy for all content developed by the studios as well as the brands of Paramount Media Networks: MTV, Showtime, Comedy Central, Paramount Network, Smithsonian Channel, CMT, TV Land, Pop and Logo.He worked on a number of high-profile deals, most recently on the new five-year overall pact with South Part creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone and an exclusive streaming agreement for the show on Paramount+. He got a shoutout by Stone when the deals were announced last month.“Trey and I and the whole South Park crew are grateful for this extension and this deal,” he said. “We want to thank Chris McCarthy and Keyes Hill-Edgar for years of great partnership and are looking forward to continuing to make South Park for the next five years.”Hill-Edgar worked with all key talent at the studio, including Taylor Sheridan, who shared with Deadline how Hill-Edgar convinced him to make Yellowstone prequel 1883 in record time so the series could launch the rebranded Paramount+.In his note to staff, Hill-Edgar reminisced about being a young associate at Shearman & Sterling who in 2000 was invited to join Viacom after working on the Viacom/CBS merger.He went on to hold multiple business affairs and legal affairs positions at the company, including SVP, Deputy General Counsel, Assistant Secretary as well as EVP, Global Business Affairs and General Counsel of Viacom Media Networks.In his farewell email, Hill-Edgar acknowledged his longtime boss McCarthy, Mike Fricklas, who recruited him back in the day as well as “the incomparable Myrna Sterling,” his executive assistant for his entire 25-year Viacom/Paramount tenure.
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