Lionsgate has named public relations executive Eric Kops as head of Global Communications and Earned Media for the studio’s Film Group, Marisa Liston, Lionsgate’s president of Global Marketing announced on Thursday.
In his new role, Kops will oversee global feature film publicity on all wide theatrical releases, multiplatform releases, and catalog. Kops also will oversee strategic communications for the Film Group as a whole.
Unofficially, Kops has been serving in the role since Liston was promoted to lead the Global Marketing department last year. She previously held the job and Kops will report to Liston.
“Eric could not be more respected for his creativity, intelligence, experience, and leadership skills, which made him the perfect choice to head up the department,” Liston said in a statement. “His impeccable relationships with talent and representatives, alongside his thorough understanding of every aspect of the job from strategy to media training, have made him an invaluable addition to our overall marketing team.”
Kops joined Lionsgate in 2020, and worked on “Spiral: From the Book of Saw” and “The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard,” as well as “American Underdog.” He is currently leading the publicity campaigns for “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent,” starring Nicolas Cage and Pedro Pascal, the upcoming “John Wick: Chapter 4; White Bird: A Wonder Story,” “Borderlands,” starring Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Jack Black, “About My Father,” starring Sebastian Maniscalco and Robert De Niro, “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” the adaptation of the Judy Blume classic, from writer-director Kelly Fremon Craig and producer James L. Brooks, and the untitled Adele Lim Comedy project, amongst others.
A veteran publicist that has been working in entertainment marketing and publicity since 1991, Kops previously worked at Summit Entertainment, a Lionsgate company, as SVP of Publicity, overseeing the campaigns for films including “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” “The Hurt Locker,” which won six Oscars including Best Picture, and all of the “Twilight” saga films.
Prior to Summit, Kops spent six years at MGM/UA, and became EVP of Worldwide Publicity and Promotions. Kops then went to Paramount Pictures, where he served as SVP of Publicity.
In addition to his publicity career, Kops produced the independent film “Do You Take This Man,” starring Anthony Rapp, Jonathan Bennett, Alyson Hannigan, Thomas Dekker and Mackenzie Astin. The film centers around the wedding of a gay couple. The wedding scene was shot on the same day as the 2015 Supreme Court decision in support of gay marriage came down.
