Unveiling the Hollywood CEO Pay Mega Chart: Discover the Shocking Golden Parachute That Stands Out!

The highest-paid executive in Hollywood last year was someone who had already left the industry over a year ago. Bob Bakish, the former CEO of Paramount Global, received a severance package worth a staggering $69.3 million. This amount surpassed the total compensation for any other executive in the entertainment sector.

Bakish stepped down in April, during complex negotiations between Paramount owner Shari Redstone and potential buyers. The new co-CEOs—Chris McCarthy, George Cheeks, and Brian Robbins—didn’t earn nearly as much, each getting around $6 million along with additional compensation for their other roles.

While Bakish’s exit sparked conversations about his differences with Redstone over buyers, it didn’t stop the new leaders from raking in significant salaries. Combined, their pay nearly matched that of Ted Sarandos at Netflix, who had the highest compensation among active executives. Interestingly, Sarandos and co-CEO Greg Peters both saw pay increases in 2024, in a year when pay changes among other industry leaders seemed balanced.

Focusing on broader industry trends, many top executives continued to earn above the median compensation reported by the Equilar 100 list, which averages $25.6 million—up 9.5% from the previous year. Amit Batish, a senior director at Equilar, notes a persistent trend: many compensation packages included substantial long-term stock options. Even during times of lower stock performance, companies are keen on maintaining stable leadership. This approach might explain why many packages exceeded the median.

Looking beyond entertainment, Jim Anderson of Coherent Corp. leads the Equilar list across all industries with a pay package of $101.5 million. Microsoft’s Satya Nadella follows closely with $79.1 million, while Apple’s Tim Cook comes in at $74.6 million.

Disney’s Bob Iger ranks 12th overall, with compensation exceeding $40 million last year. Much of this came from stock awards. Other notable Disney executives also received hefty packages; CFO Hugh Johnston earned $24.5 million, and chief legal officer Horacio Guttierez took home $15.8 million.

TKO CEO Ari Emanuel’s pay package fell from $65 million to $18.1 million, despite a hefty $174 million payment associated with a go-private deal. Dwayne Johnson, while not a CEO, still earned $29.9 million as a board member at TKO.

Moreover, the increase in stock awards across the Equilar 100 is significant, up by 40.5% in the last year. This trend indicates that companies are eager to attract and keep top talent, often through performance-linked long-term incentives. Notably, SiriusXM CEO Jennifer Witz saw the largest year-over-year compensation growth at 415%, thanks to a substantial stock award after a gap in previous years.

As the industry evolves, compensation strategies seem to focus more on securing leadership through attractive pay packages, reflecting a broader trend in corporate governance. For more detailed insights on executive compensation, you can refer to Equilar’s report here.

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