EXCLUSIVE: Legendary Entertainment has hired 30-year marketing and publicity vet Marisa McGrath Liston as EVP of Publicity & Communications.
The former Lionsgate global marketing and publicity head will oversee all publicity and communications strategy and execution, working across Legendary’s divisions, including film, television, digital media, comics, gaming, and more.
Liston will report to Blair Rich, Legendary’s Chief Marketing and Commercial Officer. The news comes in the wake of Legendary’s mega success with Warner Bros co-production A Minecraft Movie which is coursing to $900M at the global box office. In addition, Legendary just clocked $20 billion from all its titles at the global box office.
“Marisa is a dynamic addition to our marketing team,” said Rich. “She is a top strategist and innovator, with a strong track record guiding some of the industry’s most notable publicity campaigns. We are delighted to have her lead our publicity and communications efforts as we continue our momentum into this next chapter of growth.”
During Liston’s tenure at Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, she served in multiple roles as President of Global Marketing as well as Head of Earned Media and Communications working on such features as Knives Out, Bombshell, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent and the John Wick series. Previously, Liston spent 17 years at Sony Pictures Entertainment, where she was instrumental to the release and awards campaigns of over 100 films, including Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Superbad, Zero Dark Thirty and Oscar winner Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and the Daniel Craig James Bond movies. Before that, she worked at talent agency Baker Winokur Ryder, representing such stars as Jennifer Garner, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Casey Affleck, Ryan Reynolds, and many more. She is an active member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and an Adjunct Professor at USC’s Stark School of Producing.
Legendary’s upcoming slate includes the live action-animation hybrid comedy Animal Friends, starring Ryan Reynolds, Jason Momoa, Aubrey Plaza, and Dan Levy; Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Three; a film adaptation of the Street Fighter video game; an untitled Alejandro G. Iñárritu film starring Tom Cruise; and a new entry in the hit Monsterverse franchise. Legendary’s current and upcoming series include the live-action Monsterverse series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (Apple TV+), Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft (Netflix), Dune: Prophecy (HBO/MAX), Emmy®-winning Drops of God (Apple TV+), crime drama Vanda (Hulu), and the thriller You Would Do It Too (Disney+, Apple TV+).
