Tom Cerio To Retire From Warner Bros.

Tom Cerio has decided to retire from his daily role as executive vice president, cable sales, Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution (WBDTD)at the end of March, staying with the company in a sales consultancy role.

Cerio will be replaced by David Decker, who will be promoted to executive vice president, cable and SVOD sales, WBDTD. Decker will report to Ken Werner, WBDTD president.

Cerio, whose entertainment career has spanned more than four decades, has served as the head of the industry’s leading cable domestic distribution division since 2009. Decker will now assume the role of overseeing licensing of all Warner Bros. Entertainment programming — including television series, theatrical motion pictures, animation and original digital productions — to pay television, premium and basic cable networks, satellite and telco services, D2 broadcast networks as well as subscription-video-on-demand platforms throughout the United States.

“Tommy is one of the most talented, innovative and dare I say, well-liked, executives in the television industry,” said Schlesinger.  “He has always been passionate about his deals as well as his relationships across the industry with clients, colleagues and competitors alike.  He is an innovative deal-maker, a savvy strategist and above all an ethical and respected executive.  While we will miss not having him run our cable and SVOD business on a daily basis, we are fortunate that he has agreed to let us to continue to tap into his expertise as a consultant.”

Decker was promoted last year to the newly created position of EVP, business and legal affairs, Warner Bros. Worldwide Television Distribution, overseeing the combined domestic and international television distribution’s business and legal affairs groups

Schlesinger continued:  “David is the perfect person to take the reins from Tommy and lead our cable and SVOD sales domestically.  Having worked on numerous innovative, complex and unusual licensing agreements on a global basis, David has a wide-ranging understanding of the distribution marketplace, its challenges and its opportunities.”

A 10-year veteran of the company, Decker had previously served as EVP, business and legal affairs, WBDTD and Telepictures Productions, since 2009.

Prior to joining the company, Decker spent six years at Stone Stanley Entertainment. Before that, he served as a production attorney in the business affairs department at Buena Vista Television and as a contract attorney in the legal department of Paramount Pictures Network Television.

He has also practiced civil litigation at civil defense law firms in Los Angeles and served as an independent legal consultant to a number of entertainment companies. Decker holds a Juris Doctor from Loyola Law School (Calif.) and a bachelor’s degree in French literature from Dickinson College.