Daniel Cherry III, the senior vp and general manager of DC, has stepped down, multiple sources tell The Hollywood Reporter.
Reasons for the abrupt exit, which was characterized as a “quitting,” are unclear. Cherry was in the position for less than two years, having come aboard in September 2020. The role he inhabited was a newly created position at the time, crafted in response to harsh executive layoffs that occurred in 2020 and followed the departure of co-publisher Dan DiDio.
DC had no comment.
Cherry reported to Warner Bros. global brands and experience president Pam Lifford and headed up business affairs editorial, talent services, marketing, sales, brand and direct to consumer for DC. He also oversaw business development for the company with executive Anne DePies.
Cherry came in as DC was in rebuilding mode and one of his goals was to “future-proof” the company with one of the aims being to increase its global reach. It is unclear how successful his initiatives were, but sources say DC did have a banner 2021 thanks to editorial initiatives and interest in its publishing lines thanks to The Suicide Squad movie, Sweet Tooth series and The Sandman Audible adaptation, among others.
It is unclear where Cherry will land, although the comics blogsphere is speculating it is to work with Kanye West.
The exec came into the comics realm from the video game business, where he acted as chief marketing officer for Activision Blizzard Esports. Prior to that, he was chief marketing and innovation officer for the New Jersey Devils NHL franchise.
Source: HollyWood
