Overview
- The Academy announced this week that Teni Melidonian has exited her full-time role as Chief Oscars Officer and will serve as a consultant for the next year, a change described in an internal memo from CEO Bill Kramer.
- Awards production, special events and talent relations were reassigned to Jennifer Davidson while member screenings and awards ticketing were moved to Meredith Shea effective immediately.
- Melidonian, a two-decade Academy veteran who served as the chief liaison with Disney/ABC, led the Oscars strategy unit created under Kramer before her 2024 promotion to Chief Oscars Officer.
- The reorganization is presented as preparation for the Academy’s 100th year and the telecast’s transition to YouTube and a new downtown Los Angeles venue, moves driven by falling linear ratings and financial pressures tied to lower reported rights fees compared with the Disney deal.
- Observers say the personnel shifts reflect a broader push to modernize the Academy and reshape the Oscars for streaming, a change that could reduce long‑tenured institutional roles and alter how the show is produced and marketed.