NEW YORK – Canadian broadcasting executive Walter Levitt resigned from his position as Comedy Central’s executive vice-president and chief marketing officer on Monday.
“After six years commuting between Toronto and NYC (and by my rough estimate, over 650 flights), it's time to be back in Canada,” Levitt told Cartt.ca in an email.
Comedy Central is one of the jewels in the Viacom crown, but the parent company has been suffering through some serious leadership and ownership challenges and faces serious uncertainty. While all that has been going on, Comedy Central’s president Michele Ganeless left as well as her boss, Doug Herzog, who was president of Viacom’s music and entertainment group. Many other senior people have reportedly also left the company over the past six months.
“I always knew I couldn't do the commute forever, and six years is a long time. It's the right time to come back home,” added Levitt.
“I have no specific plans at this point, other than to catch up on lost time with my family and friends – and yes, do a bunch of traveling. But not between Toronto and NYC! Then, open to anything, really. After 25 years in the media & entertainment business, it may be time to try something different. Or maybe not. We'll see.”
Prior to his gig at Comedy Central, Levitt was CMO at Canwest Global and before that held a similar position at Alliance Atlantis Broadcasting.
