Katie Martin Kelley Jumps From Warner Bros to Netflix
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- Katie Martin Kelley, EVP of Communications at Warner Bros Motion Picture Group, joins Netflix as VP Communications, Film on Sept. 8, reporting to Chief Communications Officer Dani Dudeck and overseeing Dan Lin's feature film portfolio.
- Martin Kelley's remit at Netflix covers live-action and documentaries, kids & family animation (including Netflix Animation Studios), animated series, film & TV licensing, and international films and series — but is not a direct replacement for Emily Feingold, who exited in June.
- The hire is the second high-level WBD executive departure in a month — last month, HBO Max's Pia Barlow joined Amazon MGM Studios, prompting a WBD poaching lawsuit — as the company's pending Paramount acquisition remains unsettled.
- Martin Kelley's contract is up at WBD, and her role may not be back-filled while the Paramount-WBD merger is held up by an antitrust suit from state AGs scheduled for March.
- During her three-year Warner Bros run, she led comms for Warner Bros. Pictures, New Line Cinema, WB Pictures Animation, and the new genre label Warner Bros. Clockwork; WB grossed over $4B worldwide in 2025 on titles including Sinners, Weapons, Final Destination: Bloodlines, and A Minecraft Movie.
- She previously spent 12 years in domestic and corporate comms at Paramount under Rob Moore, and served as Chief Communications Officer at MGM Studios alongside Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy before Amazon's acquisition.
Why it matters: The hire is the second WBD comms executive departure in a month — Pia Barlow left for Amazon MGM last month — while the Paramount-WBD acquisition remains stalled by a March antitrust suit from state AGs. Netflix gains a 20-plus-year communications veteran to lead its global film comms as it expands into longer theatrical windows, including Greta Gerwig's Narnia and Charlie vs the Chocolate Factory.
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