Black Bear appoints marketing and publicity chiefs for US distribution push
Developed over time first seen 3 months ago
Black Bear, the independent studio behind Sydney Sweeney's boxing drama "Christy," has appointed Bianca Parkes and Heather Phillips to lead marketing and publicity respectively, as it builds out a US theatrical distribution business. The pair report to Benjamin Kramer, the company's president of US distribution, and join a team that already includes former Lionsgate distribution chief David Spitz, underlining Black Bear's ambitions to become a serious player in film releasing despite "Christy" itself flopping at the box office with just $2 million against a $15 million budget.
Parkes, taking the head of marketing role, spent seven years at Neon, working on Oscar winners "Parasite" and "Anora" as well as "Longlegs", and also ran the company's design and merchandising division. Phillips, becoming head of publicity, spent a decade on 20th Century Fox's theatrical publicity and awards campaigns, including "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Gone Girl" and "The Revenant", and later served as chief communications officer for 101 Studios ("Yellowstone", "1883", "Tulsa King"). Black Bear, founded in 2011 and launched into distribution in 2025, plans to release 12 films a year, with upcoming titles including "Jason Statham Stole My Bike", "A Woman in the Sun", "The Rivals of Amziah King" and "Spa Weekend".
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In short
- Black Bear hires Bianca Parkes and Heather Phillips as marketing and publicity chiefs
- Move backs studio's push into US theatrical distribution
- Both bring major-studio pedigree from Neon and 20th Century Fox
How this story developed
- 3 months ago A follow-up report added detail on Black Bear's slate, noting that its planned dozen annual releases include films starring Jason Statham, Renée Zellweger and Matthew McConaughey, while trimming the earlier account's list of specific credits for Parkes and Phillips.
- 3 months ago Black Bear appointed former Neon marketing lead Bianca Parkes and ex-Fox publicity veteran Heather Phillips as its heads of marketing and publicity, reporting to distribution president Benjamin Kramer, as the studio behind "Christy" builds out a full theatrical release operation despite that film's box-office flop.
Explained simply
Black Bear is the independent film studio that made "Christy," the boxing drama starring Sydney Sweeney. Founded in 2011, the company mainly financed and produced films before deciding in 2025 to also handle its own distribution in US cinemas, rather than relying on other companies to release its films, which is a costly and competitive part of the film business.
To run this new distribution arm, Black Bear has been recruiting experienced executives from established studios. Benjamin Kramer oversees the operation as president of US distribution, and he has already brought in David Spitz, formerly of Lionsgate, to help lead it. Marketing and publicity are the teams responsible for promoting films to audiences and the press before and after release, and are considered essential to a film's box office success.
The hires matter because Black Bear's first self-distributed release, "Christy," struggled at the box office earlier this year, taking in far less than it cost to make. The studio is nonetheless pressing ahead with plans to release around a dozen films a year, including projects with well-known actors such as Jason Statham, Renée Zellweger and Matthew McConaughey, making the strength of its marketing and publicity team important to whether that expansion succeeds.
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Originally published by Variety as “Black Bear Hires Bianca Parkes and Heather Phillips to Lead Marketing, Publicity”.