By Jordan Vega · Originally reported by Richard Horgan (2012) · Wayback archive →
In mid-October 2012 — barely a week after PMC’s acquisition of Variety from Reed Elsevier had closed — Jay Penske announced that Michelle Sobrino-Stearns was taking over as Variety’s publisher, replacing Brian Gott.
Then
Sobrino-Stearns came in with substantial trade-publication background. Penske’s strategy required someone who could execute on the open-web-and-events business model. The original FishbowlLA framing called out the gender dynamics: Penske had put a woman in charge of one of the entertainment industry’s most-established trade publications.
Now
Michelle Sobrino-Stearns has been the central commercial figure at Variety across the entire PMC era — fifteen years and counting, eventually rising to President of Variety. The broader gender-and-leadership story the 2012 piece flagged has continued: Janice Min at THR, Sharon Waxman at TheWrap, Nellie Andreeva as Co-EIC at Deadline, Cynthia Littleton as Co-EIC at Variety.