Courtenay Valenti has been promoted to President, Production and Development, Warner Bros. Pictures (a division of Time Warner No. 37 on the Fair360, formerly DiversityInc Top 50 Companies list). Valenti’s promotion was announced May 15 by Toby Emmerich, President and Chief Content Officer, Warner Bros. Pictures Group, to whom Valenti directly reports.
“Courtenay is one of the longest-tenured creative executives at Warner Bros. and highly respected and valued by the incredible filmmakers she has worked with over the years,” said Emmerich. “She is a natural leader for our motion picture group.”
As President, Production and Development, Valenti has oversight and management of Warner Bros. Pictures’ development team and budget; she also works closely with Emmerich on overall slate development. Valenti has been a key creative force behind the Warner Animation Group, shepherding such titles as “The LEGO Batman Movie,” from director Chris McKay, and “The LEGO Movie,” from directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller.
Valenti has been with the company 28 years and most recently served as Co-President, Production, Warner Bros. Pictures, a post to which she was promoted in 2016.
During her tenure at the Studio, Valenti has supervised a wide variety films, including “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” J.K. Rowling’s screenwriting debut directed by David Yates; “Mad Max: Fury Road,” directed and co-written by George Miller; the last four films in the blockbuster Harry Potter series; the Academy Award-winning “Happy Feet”; and Baz Luhrmann’s “The Great Gatsby,” among others.
