Showtime's Johanna Fuentes Moves to Warner Bros. as Communications Chief

Warner Bros. has found its new communications chief.

Johanna Fuentes, who most recently served as executive vp communications at Showtime, has been tapped to fill the void created in February when Dee Dee Myers departed following a five-year run. Fuentes will serve as exec vp worldwide corporate communications and public affairs and will report to Warner Bros. CEO Ann Sarnoff. She will begin her new role May 4 and be based at Warner Bros.' global headquarters in Burbank.

In her new role, Fuentes will oversee all of the company's corporate communications strategies and activities on a worldwide basis, including media relations, executive communications, corporate responsibility and philanthropy. A replacement for her at Showtime has yet to be determined and will be announced at a later date.

"Johanna is a seasoned executive who brings strategic communications experience, solid media relationships and a sophisticated knowledge of the entertainment landscape to Warner Bros.,” Sarnoff said Monday in a statement. “As we navigate this next chapter of the evolution of our company, I look forward on relying on her expertise as an integral part of my executive team."

Fuentes joins Warners from ViacomCBS-backed Showtime, where she has spent the past decade rising through the ranks before taking over the premium cabler's top PR job and reporting directly to its former network CEO turned CBS Corp. chief creative officer David Nevins and former CBS Corp. communications chief Gil Schwartz. Schwartz, who worked closely with ousted CBS chairman Leslie Moonves, retired in late 2018. (It's worth noting that longtime CBS Corp. communications guru Dana McClintock announced his departure from the company last month.)

Fuentes, who joined Showtime in 2010 from Bravo, was responsible for the planning and execution of all global PR and media relations for the premium cable network and corporate sibling Smithsonian Channel. That included program PR, talent relations, events, awards, film festivals, philanthropy, sports and corporate branding, among other duties. She has managed content including Twin Peaks, The Loudest Voice and Escape at Dannemora and launched series like Sacha Baron Cohen's Who Is America?, The Circus and The Fourth Estate.

The Boston College grad, who moved from New York to Los Angeles after getting the top job at Showtime, started her tenure at CBS Corp. in 2001 as a director of entertainment communications, working on programs including Survivor and Everybody Hates Chris.

"It’s a transformative moment in our industry, and I couldn’t be prouder to join a legacy and storied company like Warner Bros.,” Fuentes said. “I believe in Ann’s vision for the future of the company and am excited to work with some of the top communications professionals and storytellers in our field as we map the strategy for the continued expansion of our iconic brands, films, games and television series."

Myers, the former White House press secretary to Bill Clinton, announced her departure in February. She remained on board through the end of March. At the time, Myers replaced Sue Fleishman in the post.

Showtime