Tahra Grant has been named the next Executive Vice President and Chief Communications Officer of Sony Pictures Entertainment. She is the first Black woman to lead communications at a major Hollywood studio. Grant will now report directly to Sony Pictures Entertainment chairman and CEO Tony Vinciquerra.
Vinciquerra expressed his confidence in Grant in a statement to colleagues.
“With her strong relationships and partnership with Tom Rothman and our MPG leadership, Tahra has strengthened the narrative around the vitality, sustainability, and forward-looking strategies of our motion picture business, while navigating some of the most complicated industry events of our time, including the COVID pandemic and the historic double strikes last year,” he said.
Grant joined the studio in 2016 as Vice President, Corporate Communications. Within one year, she advanced to Senior VP, Corporate Communications, a position she held for almost eight years. In addition to her crisis leadership, Grant is known for promptly assessing entertainment business situations as they arise and strategizing for them in advance. She has skillfully streamlined and sharpened the MPG corporate communications operation and overseen all film announcements during her tenure at Sony Pictures.
As head of the film side’s comms team, Grant has led PR surrounding Sony movies such as Once Upon A Time in… Hollywood, the Spider-Verse franchise, the Jumanji franchise, Little Women, the Spider-Man trilogy, Viola Davis’ The Woman King, and more. She is replacing veteran leader Bob Lawson, who she has been reporting to and is currently head of corp comms for the entire Sony group. The two will continue working together to create more opportunities for Sony Group Corporation and Sony Pictures Entertainment to align and collaborate for a stronger business footprint.
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Before joining Sony, Grant served as Vice President of New York-based PR firm Rubenstein Communications. She represented prominent New York institutions and clients across film, television, and arts, including the Tribeca Film Festival and the Metropolitan Opera. A graduate of the University of Maryland, she worked in Public Relations at Jive Records early in her career.
Grant’s groundbreaking appointment underscores the historic lack of diversity at the highest echelons of the entertainment industry. Last year, The Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences reinforced efforts toward diversity, equity, and inclusion in Hollywood in a letter from the Academy’s CEO and President, Bill Kramer, and Janet Yang. “Our DEAI-focused work is a continuous journey that requires sustained attention, commitment, and resources across Academy departments,” they stated.