Courtney D. Armstrong has been elevated to Paramount Pictures Chief Operating Officer for the studio.

He fills the position left by Andrew Gumpert, who exited Paramount in February 2023. We understand it was always part of the succession plan for Armstrong, who has been at the Melrose Ave lot for three years, to ascend to COO. Armstrong was previously the studio’s President of Business Affairs and Administration, with control over those areas as they pertain to live action and animation production, in addition to leading Paramount’s business development team.

Armstrong will continue to report to Paramount Pictures President and Chief Executive Officer Brian Robbins. In his new position, Armstrong will oversee all day-to-day operations across Business Affairs, Legal, as well as business development, for the studio’s live action, animation, and studio group departments. 

Armstrong joined Paramount Pictures in 2021 from Warner Bros. Pictures, where he was an executive since 2003, most recently serving as EVP of Worldwide Business Affairs. During his tenure at Warner Bros., he was key in many tentpole successes including Wonder Woman, Dunkirk, The Dark Knight trilogy, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grinewald, The Lego Batman Movie, Justice League, Joker, Ocean’s 8 and many others.

Prior to joining Warner Bros., Armstrong was an attorney in the Business and Legal Affairs division of the Motion Picture Group at Walt Disney Pictures. Before that, he was a litigation associate on the entertainment litigation team at Paul Hastings, LLP.

Armstrong is a graduate of the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law and holds an M.B.A. degree from the Kellogg School of Management. He is also a member of Northwestern University’s Board of Trustees, a life member of the Law Board at the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, a member of the Executive Leadership Council, and a member of the executive branch of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.

Robbins said in a statement this AM: “Courtney is one of the most well-respected and brilliant minds in the industry, and he has been invaluable in shaping, guiding, and leading all facets of our business dealings, as well as the strategic priorities for the company. There is no one better poised to lead our studio’s operations, and I look forward to continuing working alongside him in his new role.”