Searchlight Pictures Marketing Chief Michelle Hooper Departs After 20 Years

Michelle Hooper is stepping down as executive vice president of marketing at Searchlight Pictures, closing a two-decade run at the studio. She joined the company in 2006.

During that time, Hooper oversaw publicity, awards and creative marketing efforts that helped Searchlight collect nearly 200 Oscar nominations and more than 130 Golden Globe nominations. Of the Oscar nominations, 49 turned into wins. Among them were best picture victories for "Nomadland," "The Shape of Water," "Birdman," "12 Years a Slave" and "Slumdog Millionaire." The studio also landed Golden Globe best picture nominations for those five films, along with 15 others.

Hooper was leading campaigns for "Wild Horse Nine" and "Behemonth!," among other titles, in the current awards season.

A longtime colleague praised Hooper's leadership. "She's a stellar leader for her creative insights and keen ability to read a film for where it fits in the zeitgeist, in turn setting her team up for wide-reaching success," the colleague said. The same person described Hooper as a formidable collaborator who can close out a campaign using what she has learned by listening closely and gathering feedback in real time. "It's a loss for the studio, but I guarantee you it will be another's gain," the colleague added.

Before Searchlight, Hooper worked at CBS Entertainment as director of entertainment communications, where she contributed to the publicity strategy for "Survivor." She also spent four years at Fox Broadcast as vice president of entertainment publicity, working on campaigns for series such as "The Simpsons," "Arrested Development" and "American Idol."

Variety included Hooper in its 2025 Women's Impact Report, alongside fellow Searchlight executives Rebecca Kearey, DanTram Nguyen and Katie Goodson-Thomas. The report highlighted their role in giving the studio a strong showing at the Oscars. "The team's marketing mojo led to 10 Academy Award nominations for 'A Complete Unknown' and 'A Real Pain,' including a best supporting actor win for Kieran Culkin's performance in the Jesse Eisenberg film," Variety wrote.

In a joint statement, the team said Searchlight's adventurous choices and deep relationships with filmmakers help the company weather the challenges of the business. They credited that approach to "trusting [that] audiences still want films that entertain, challenge and provoke."