Paramount has launched a new Industrial Relations division that will be led by Nicole Lang and Sheldon Kasdan.
The pair, who will serve as executive vice presidents and co-heads of the new division and report directly to Chief Legal Officer Makan Delrahim, will focus on maintaining strong, constructive partnerships with guilds, unions, and industry professionals.
“Nicole and Sheldon have played a key role in navigating recent labor negotiations and strengthening our relationships with our partners across the industry,” Delrahim said in a statement. “Elevating Industrial Relations to a standalone division reflects both the importance of this work and our confidence in their continued leadership.”
Lang will oversee all aspects of industrial relations for Paramount’s Motion Picture division, as well as studio back lot operations, while Kasdan will overseee all aspects of industrial relations for the TV Media division and Paramount Television Studios
Lang also serves as Paramount Pictures’ chief spokesperson in all AMPTP-led industry-wide negotiations with the DGA, IATSE, Teamsters, SAG-AFTRA, the WGA and others. Additionally, she is a AMPTP board director and a trustee on the boards of the Directors Guild of America-Producer Pension and Health Plans, the Motion Picture Industry Pension & Health Plans, Teamsters Local 817 Pension, Welfare and Scholarship Funds and the IATSE Entertainment and Exhibition Industries Training Trust Fund.
Kasdan serves as CBS Studios’ and PTVS’ chief spokesperson at AMPTP led industry-wide negotiations and is CBS Broadcasting’s chief negotiator for its national collective bargaining agreements affecting news, stations and sports. He is also on the AMPTP board of directors and a trustee on the AFTRA Retirement Plan, the Directors Guild of America-Producer Pension and Health Plans, the SAG-AFTRA-Producers Health Plan and the SAG-Producers Pension Plan.
Before joining CBS as vice president of labor relations in 2016, Kasdan was vice president and senior labor counsel for NBCUniversal. He got his start in the industry at the AMPTP, where he served as counsel from 1998 to 2000.
“We’re incredibly grateful for our longstanding partnerships with the unions and guilds, and for the company’s recognition of Industrial Relations as a critical function that supports our business and our people,” the pair added. “We look forward to building on these relationships.”
SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland congratulated the pair on the new roles and praised them for working with the union with “professionalism, seriousness of purpose and a clear understanding that durable agreements are built through respect, direct engagement and a willingness to solve hard problems.”
Similarly, DGA National Executive Director Russell Hollander said the pair have been “thoughtful, solutions-oriented partners across the bargaining table and as Trustees of the DGA-Producer Pension and Health Plans — helping navigate complex issues with professionalism and a shared commitment to finding common ground.”
“As Paramount and the industry continue to evolve, it is encouraging and gratifying to know that the company’s emphasis on its relationship with the IATSE, and most importantly, the concerns of our members who will continue to provide invaluable services to their productions, remain in the forefront of their operations,” IATSE International President Matthew Loeb “The creation of a new division affirms the importance of labor relations and secures that attention to matters crucial to its labor force are addressed at the highest levels of the company.”
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