DreamWorks Animation President Margie Cohn Unites Studio’s Talent and Tech

By Jennifer Wolfe

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Named president of in January, Margie Cohn runs the studio’s film and television divisions, overseeing the release of two feature films each year via parent company NBCUniversal and the roughly 25 series in active production.

Cohn has been with the studio since 2013, building the DreamWorks Animation Television unit after the studio signed a groundbreaking series content deal with Netflix.

“I’m so proud of what we’re doing,” says Cohn. “I’m proud and honored to be leading this studio. I have always thought DreamWorks stood for quality and innovation, and my goal is to build upon that for the future.”
From day one, Cohn has been “hyper-focused” on developing content at DreamWorks, bringing in new voices while nurturing the studio’s existing talent.

“We have a lot of people who have great ideas and great skill sets, and we want to add to that,” she says. “Donna Langley [chairman, Universal Filmed Entertainment Group] and Universal are champions of excellence and risk-taking, and our goal is to foster the next generation of talent.”

That goal ties in with the ethos of the studio’s founder, Jeffrey Katzenberg. “Jeffrey respected talent, and he respected people who could do what needed to get done,” Cohn says of the former studio chief’s reputation for promoting women to leadership ranks. “I don’t think he looked at whether somebody was a woman or a man. He needed and appreciated talent.”