BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Courtney D. Armstrong has been promoted to Executive Vice President, Worldwide Business Affairs, Warner Bros. Pictures, it was announced today by Steven Spira, President, Worldwide Business Affairs, Warner Bros. Pictures and Patti Connolly, Executive Vice President, Worldwide Business Affairs, Warner Bros. Pictures.
Armstrong, who has been with the Studio for 11 years, will oversee all day-to-day business and legal aspects of worldwide film acquisition, production and distribution for the studio, including supervising the negotiations of key deals with filmmakers and talent. Armstrong will report directly to Spira.
Connolly, who will be retiring this fall following her successful 29-year tenure with the Studio, will stay on through the end of the year in an advisory capacity, working closely with Armstrong to ensure a successful transition.
“Courtney has been a longstanding driver of our success and this promotion is well deserved,” said Spira. “He is an exceptionally savvy and creative dealmaker, with strong business instincts and relationships, which have served Warner Bros. well for more than a decade. I look forward to his expanded presence in our department and the role he will play ensuring we remain the industry’s leading studio.”
“It has been a professional pleasure to see Courtney evolve as both a negotiator and a leader within our team,” said Connolly. “He has earned the respect of both his colleagues and senior management at Warner Bros. and I know the film division remains in very capable hands.”
During his career at Warner Bros., Armstrong has been involved with several key film projects, including The Dark Knight trilogy, the Academy Award-winning The Departed, as well as Man of Steel and the upcoming Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and Mad Max: Fury Road.
Armstrong joined Warner Bros. Pictures in 2003 as a Director of Business Affairs, and was promoted to Vice President in 2004 and Senior Vice President in 2007. Before joining Warner Bros., Armstrong spent three years at Walt Disney Pictures as an attorney in the Business and Legal Affairs department of the Motion Picture Group. He began his career as a litigation associate on the entertainment litigation team at the Los Angeles-based law firm Paul Hastings, LLP.
Armstrong is a graduate of the Northwestern University School of Law and holds an MBA from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management. He received his undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from Northwestern University.