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2 weeks ago
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Nicola Maccanico will not become CEO of Fremantle Italy — a role he was announced in just days ago.
The former Cinecittà Studios studio chief was unveiled on September 11 in the newly-created role at the Fremantle Italy Group, the country-specific division of production and distribution giant Fremantle.
However, in an open letter posted a few days later on Italian website Dago Spia, Italy’s equivalent of the Drudge Report, the exec said he would not be taking up the role due to “a hostile climate” surrounding his resignation from Cinecittà over the summer and the new position at Fremantle.
Deadline has confirmed the local reports that Maccanico will not join business and that it was his decision.
A Fremantle spokesperson issued a statement to Deadline: “We understand Nicola’s decision and wish him the best for the future.”
Maccanico was announced with great fanfare with a role overseeing Fremantle Italy’s local operations and labels including Wildside, The Apartment Pictures, Lux Vide. The prodco bosses were each to report into Maccanico who was also made part of the Fremantle Global Leadership Team.
He joined RTL-owned Fremantle from the storied Italian film studio Cinecittà where he served a three-year stint as CEO. At Fremantle his reporting line was directly to Andrea Scrosati, Group COO and CEO Continental Europe.
“I am proud to be joining the Fremantle family and I feel the great responsibilities that come with it,” Maccanico said as he was anointed CEO a week back. “And given the great managerial and artistic expertise that characterizes the Fremantle world, I look to the future with confidence and determination.”
Fremantle confirmed the news that their new hire is not joining after all, but no reason has yet been established for the departure, which coming so soon after the splashy announcement is sure to fuel industry chatter in Italy and beyond.
The news was broken locally by Dago Spia.
