Brian Robbins

Brian Robbins (né Levine; November 22, 1963) is an American film producer, director, and studio executive. He was the Co-CEO of Paramount Global from 2024 to 2025; President and Chief Executive Officer of Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon from 2021 to 2025 and 2018 to 2025 respectively; and Chief Content Officer, Movies & Kids & Family, Paramount+ until his departure from the company after the completion of the merger between Paramount Global and Skydance Media.

As President & CEO of Paramount Pictures, Robbins oversaw the filmed entertainment division's creative strategy and worldwide business operations including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Paramount Home Entertainment, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., and Paramount Studio Group.

In early 2026, he founded the entertainment company Big Shot Pictures, with backing from Sony Pictures.

Robbins was born on November 22, 1963 in New York City and raised in the Marine Park, Brooklyn, neighborhood. Robbins was born to a Jewish family.

His father was the actor Floyd Levine. When he was 14, he moved with his family to Los Angeles. He graduated from Grant High School in 1982.

Following his father into acting, Robbins made his television debut on an episode of Trapper John, M.D. He guest starred on a number of television series and had a recurring role on General Hospital. As an actor, he became known for his role as Eric Mardian on the ABC sitcom Head of the Class. He also hosted the children's version of the game show Pictionary in 1989. In the 1990s, Robbins started producing the show All That and its spin-offs on Nickelodeon. He has produced several sports films including Coach Carter and Hardball (2001). He produced Smallville and also One Tree Hill. He has often collaborated with producer Michael Tollin. Robbins is the founder of AwesomenessTV, a YouTube channel aimed at teenagers. The channel spun off into a television series, on which Robbins served as executive producer. DreamWorks Animation acquired the company in 2013. On February 22, 2017, following NBCUniversal/Comcast's acquisition of DreamWorks Animation, Robbins resigned as AwesomenessTV's CEO, ending his five-year run with the company.

Robbins first joined Paramount in 2017 as the first president of Paramount Players, after which he became president of Nickelodeon in 2018, and then president of Kids & Family Entertainment, for Viacom (later merged with CBS Corporation to form ViacomCBS, now Paramount). On October 1, 2018, shortly after being appointed as president of Nickelodeon, he resigned his position as the president of Paramount Players, ending his 16-month run at the studio. Despite leaving the studio, he remained involved with Paramount Players division Nickelodeon Movies.

Robbins became head of Paramount Pictures in September 2021. He focused on driving Paramount's multi-platform strategy and theatrical success through a diversified portfolio of films. Robbins was also at the forefront of securing strategic filmmaker partnerships to expand the studio's global franchise business across live-action features, animation, consumer products and themed entertainment.

As President and CEO of Paramount Pictures alongside from his dual role at Nick, Brian Robbins oversaw the expansion and revitalization of well-known franchises from Nick and Paramount Pictures such as Transformers, Sonic the Hedgehog, Mission: Impossible, A Quiet Place, Scream, SpongeBob SquarePants, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and PAW Patrol, with the latter two receiving a combined $2.5 billion in consumer products revenue in 2023 alone. Robbins emphasized allowing intellectual property-driven brands to drive other lines of business, particularly consumer products. Robbins was instrumental in leading a multi-platform franchise strategy including greenlighting both a third Sonic The Hedgehog film and the spinoff series Knuckles. Most recently, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 surpassed the $405 million box office record of the previous film and the film franchise surpassed $1.2 billion in worldwide box office gross across its three movies. Following its debut, Knuckles, in its first 28 days streaming on Paramount+, received over 11 million total global hours and is the most-watched children's and family series on Paramount+ in terms of hours.

Under Robbins' tenure, Paramount Pictures received over $6 billion in worldwide box office gross and had numerous number 1 hits, including Top Gun: Maverick. In 2024, Robbins oversaw the theatrical release of five number 1 openings, including Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Smile 2, Bob Marley: One Love, Mean Girls, and IF.

He married publicist Laura Cathcart and they had two sons together before divorcing in 2013. He married stylist Tracy James in 2014. They have a daughter, and live with his sons in the Hancock Park neighborhood of Los Angeles.