Lisa Nishimura, in charge of Indie films and documentaries, and Ian Bricke, Indie film vice president have both stepped down from their roles at Netflix. This move is part of Netflix film head Scott Stuber streamlining plans; all live-action film content will now be handled by Kira Goldberg, Ori Marmur, and Niija Kuykendall.
Stuber, who spoke to Variety in a fixture in the indie community and on the annual festival circuit, said “Lisa Nishimura joined Netflix in the DVD days, and as the company moved into streaming, she built our original documentary and stand-up comedy divisions from the ground up and established Netflix as a powerhouse in both spaces,”.
He also added that “Her documentary work includes ‘American Factory,’ ‘My Octopus Teacher,’ ‘Making a Murderer’ and ‘Tiger King’; and on the narrative film side her work includes Jane Campion’s ‘The Power of the Dog,’ and the upcoming ‘They Cloned Tyrone,’ ‘Rustin’ and ‘NYAD.’ Along the way, she has been a champion for inclusion on and off screen, a leader and mentor to countless colleagues, and a trusted partner to the creative community,”
While he highlighted Bricke’s decade of service saying “building and leading our independent film team, attracting filmmakers like Tamara Jenkins, Nicole Holofcener and Mark and Jay Duplass. He also championed fan favorites like ‘The Kissing Booth’ and established our Emerging Filmmaker Initiative. We thank them both for their contributions to making us a world-class film studio and wish them the best for the future.”
Goldberg and Marmur joined Netflix in 2021 to develop commercial-facing projects, while Kuykendall joined shortly later to lead mid-budget films due to previous experience working at Warner Bros. Pictures projects like “A Star Is Born” and the “Magic Mike” franchise.
