Paramount Taps Amazon Ad Vet to Lead Sales

Paramount has hired Amazon’s former head of sports ad sales, Danielle Carney, to run its U.S. sales division, a major talent grab as the company prepares to merge with Warner Bros. Discovery.

• Setting the board: The move is one of the first major chess pieces set by Paramount’s new chief revenue officer, Jay Askinasi. He also hired Chris Brady, formerly of Tribeca Enterprises, as EVP of a new Paramount Media Labs. Both will report directly to Askinasi.

• A deep playbook: Hiring Carney is a direct shot at the digital behemoths Paramount is trying to compete with. Her experience building out Amazon's "Thursday Night Football" package, combined with a decade at Disney and ESPN, gives Paramount a leader with a deep playbook on monetizing sports and entertainment in the streaming era.

• The game plan: In a memo announcing the hires, Askinasi signaled a strategic overhaul, stating, "As we accelerate toward a streaming-centric future, Danielle's deep expertise across entertainment, sports and technology is invaluable... This is a pivotal moment for our business — and an opportunity to build something truly differentiated together."

Paramount is stacking its deck with executives who have experience battling tech giants for ad dollars, signaling a clear focus on monetizing its content at scale as it prepares to close its massive acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. The new hires are just one part of a larger team restructuring that has also seen longtime ad executives depart.