David Bittler, a 25-year Paramount/Viacom veteran, is leaving the company where he most recently served as EVP of Communications for Paramount Global Kids & Family. He announced his departure in a company memo, a copy of which was obtained by Deadline.
He is the second top-level corporate communications executive to leave following Skydance’s acquisition of Paramount Global, joining fellow EVP Liza Burnett Fefferman. They worked for the two Paramount Global co-CEOs who departed when the transaction was completed, Brian Roberts and Chris McCarthy, respectively.
In this most recent role, Bittler oversaw strategic communications and media relations for Nickelodeon, Awesomeness and the kids & family content for Paramount+.
Over the years, he has led multi-platform campaigns across theatricals, streaming, linear television, consumer products, and live experiences and has steered communications for such global franchises as SpongeBob SquarePants, PAW Patrol, Dora the Explorer, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Bittler joined Viacom in 2000. He spearheaded the historic debut of Logo, the first ad-supported LGBTQ+ television network, and also worked at MTV Networks, Spike TV and TNN.
“It has been years of long hours, big wins, and countless challenges, and for me, time flew for all of it. I could take the pro forma route here and list all the things I’m most proud of, but that’s already on LinkedIn,” he wrote in his email to staff. “So instead of telling you what I did, I will tell you why. I did it for the audience. I did it for our people here and for our brands that mean so much to so many. But most of all, I did it for love.”
Prior to joining Viacom, Bittler managed communications for CNBC and CNN.
Here is his memo, which carried the subject line “I Was Dreaming When I Wrote This”:
Hello, all you beautiful people!
For those who remember, that was the MTV Networks-era opening line for so many of the speeches and email missives delivered to us, and I humbly use it today to harness that spirit to signal my departure from these storied halls of 1515 Broadway.
For so many years, this company has been a big tent party both on and off the screen(s), welcoming in fresh directions and new ideas from all paths of life as we worked together to create a wealth of groundbreaking characters, shows, experiences and moments that electrified the culture globally time and time again.
But you already know this. That’s the draw. That’s the pull. That’s what keeps us coming back day after day and year after year—to be a part of these teams, a part of this bounty of creativity, a part of it all.
And while today we find ourselves in another era of evolution, and at an exciting inflection point, this is the turn in the road where I must loosen the yoke and diverge from this pack of marvelous people and from the brands and shows I have promoted and protected for so long…like Nick and Nick at Nite, MTVN, Logo and Spike, SpongeBob and Dora, iCarly, Avatar: The Last Airbender, PAW Patrol and all the TMNTs under the sun.It has been years of long hours, big wins, and countless challenges, and for me, time flew for all of it. I could take the pro forma route here and list all the things I’m most proud of, but that’s already on LinkedIn. Come follow me!
So instead of telling you what I did, I will tell you why. I did it for the audience. I did it for our people here and for our brands that mean so much to so many. But most of all, I did it for love.
Ciao, for now!
David
