Maria Zuckerman

Source: Emilio Madrid

Maria Zuckerman

Topic Studios president Maria Zuckerman is departing the company after a three-year tenure in which she delivered projects such as Pablo Larrain’s Spencer starring Oscar nominee Kristen Stewart and HBO/HBO Max surfing series 100 Foot Wave.

No reason was given for Zuckerman’s departure. She joined in May 2019 from HBO and reported to First Look Media CEO Michael Bloom.

Under her leadership, Topic Studios also enjoyed success with Nikyatu Jusu’s 2022 Sundance grand jury winner Nanny, Kevin Macdonald’s The Mauritanian with Jodie Foster, and Adam Leon’s Italian Studies starring Vanessa Kirby.

On the documentary side projects included HBO/HBO Max series Nuclear Family and Lucy Walker’s wildfires documentary Bring Your Own Brigade on Paramount+.

“Maria has a fantastic creative sensibility with a keen commercial sense to match,” said Bloom, who said in three years Zuckerman had “accelerated Topic Studios’ growth into a world-class independent studio, attracting stellar talent, exciting voices, and spear-heading award-winning films, documentaries, series, and podcasts”.

Topic films include Tribeca Festival selections God’s Time and Turn Every Page as well as Debra Granik’s critically acclaimed Leave No Trace distributed by Bleecker Street in North America, and Cannes 2019 Un Certain Regard award winner The Climb, which Sony Pictures Classics acquired for most of the world.