Josh Greenstein

Greenstein grew up in Kansas City, attended Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy and credits his cartoonist grandfather William Miller with encouraging his creative interests. He earned a communications degree at Boston University, then worked in New York.⁠[3]

He worked in Bob Weinstein’s office from 1999. In May 2001, Dimension Films promoted him to head of marketing for a dedicated studio department, following campaign work on Scream 3, Scary Movie and Spy Kids.⁠[4]

Greenstein joined Paramount Pictures in 2005 and was co-president of domestic marketing alongside Megan Colligan by 2008. Earlier assistant roles with Scott Rudin and Bob Weinstein led into film advertising and promotion. His Paramount campaigns included Transformers and Iron Man.⁠[5]

In his 2008 Hollywood Reporter profile, Greenstein argued for campaigns that build momentum and explain why a film merits a ticket purchase, rather than treating posters and trailers as isolated products. This was his stated approach to film marketing.⁠[5]

He served as Paramount’s chief marketing officer from 2011 to 2014. Sony’s subsequent appointment announcement listed campaigns including The Wolf of Wall Street and Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol. These were marketing responsibilities, not directing or producing credits.⁠[3][1]

On September 5, 2014, Sony announced Greenstein as its incoming president of worldwide marketing and distribution, succeeding Jeff Blake and reporting to Amy Pascal. His remit covered day-to-day global theatrical marketing and distribution. He joined later that year.⁠[1][6]

In September 2017, Sony renewed his contract for three years under Tom Rothman. Its announcement highlighted marketing and distribution work on Spider-Man: Homecoming, Baby Driver, Hotel Transylvania 2 and Don’t Breathe, while campaigns for films including Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle were underway.⁠[6]

In October 2019, Greenstein and Sanford Panitch each received the title of Sony Motion Picture Group president. Rothman’s memo explicitly said their responsibilities and reporting lines would remain unchanged: Greenstein focused on marketing and distribution, Panitch on production.⁠[7]

At Sony’s August 2021 CinemaCon presentation, Greenstein defended exclusive theatrical windows and argued that simultaneous streaming releases could damage films’ long-term value. This was a studio executive’s position in the pandemic-era distribution debate, rather than a universal finding about film performance.⁠[8]

In a 2024 Kansas City Jewish Chronicle interview, he described collaboration with directors, producers, writers and actors as a rewarding part of his work.⁠[3]

On July 28, 2025, Sony confirmed Greenstein’s departure, with Panitch remaining president of its motion picture group. Reporting at that point described talks about a Paramount role, rather than a completed appointment.⁠[9]

After the Skydance–Paramount merger, Greenstein became Paramount Pictures co-chair with Dana Goldberg and vice chair of platforms. On August 13, he outlined a goal of reaching 15 annual releases as soon as possible and later 20, spanning family, broad-audience and adult comedy films. These were slate targets at the time.⁠[10]

Greenstein’s September 30, 2025 deposition became public in January 2026. He said he helped secure an editor for Blake Lively’s cut of It Ends With Us, considered that version stronger and identified Tom Rothman as the final decision-maker. He denied that Lively had threatened him over the editing. These were sworn witness statements, not judicial findings on the dispute.⁠[11]

At CinemaCon on April 16, 2026, Greenstein emphasized original theatrical films, citing projects such as High Side with Timothée Chalamet and James Mangold. The presentation described projects and slate plans, not completed releases.⁠[12]

On May 4, 2026, Lively and Justin Baldoni settled the litigation scheduled for trial. The settlement averted that trial; it did not establish a judicial finding on the truth of Greenstein’s testimony.⁠[13]

On May 7, Greenstein and Goldberg issued Paramount’s joint statement on a multiyear first-look deal with Warner Music Group to develop theatrical films with Unigram and artists or their estates.⁠[14]

The Warner Bros. Discovery acquisition closed on October 6, 2026, and Skydance’s current leadership directory lists Greenstein as film-group co-chair. In their staff memo, the co-chairs said Paramount and Warner Bros. would develop and release separate slates, with distinct mandates for labels including DC and New Line. These were post-merger operating plans.⁠[15][2][16]

An October Variety report quoted Rothman praising Greenstein’s relationships with filmmakers, while describing pressure to reduce costs and preserve distinct studio cultures. These assessments and expectations were not completed integration results.⁠[17]

Sony Pictures Entertainment: Official website: https://www.sonypictures.com (opens in a new window).⁠[18]

Paramount Pictures: Official website: https://www.paramount.com (opens in a new window).⁠[19]

Skydance Motion Picture Group: Official website: https://www.skydance.com (opens in a new window).⁠[2]