STX Chief Operating Officer Tom McGrath Steps Down (EXCLUSIVE)

By Matt Donnelly

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – STX Entertainment chief operating officer Thomas McGrath is departing the company, Variety has learned exclusively.

McGrath, who has been at Bob Simonds’ young studio since day one, left his post on Monday, an individual familiar with the change said. He will transition to a senior adviser role, a second insider noted.

An STX spokesperson had no immediate comment.

McGrath is keen to return to his deep roots as a Broadway producer, one of the individuals explained. The executive is currently involved in Santino Fontana’s “Tootsie,” which fetched 11 Tony nominations, and has a prolific resume in the space. As a co-founder of the company Key Brand Entertainment, McGrath has mounted numerous musical revivals over the years (“Hair,” “Pippin,” “Porgy and Bess”) and originals in New York and London.

No immediate replacement for McGrath is apparent. His duties included managing workflow for divisions including film, television, the virtual reality sect STXSurreal and international operations, a department formerly led by David Kosse who decamped for Netflix in March.

STX just released its anticipated family franchise “Uglydolls,” which did not perform beautifully. This weekend they cheer on Diane Keaton, Pam Grier, Jacki Weaver and Rhea Perlman’s “Poms,” about a squad of elderly cheerleaders, which is expected to fetch between $7 million and $10 million at the domestic box office.