WWE has tapped a company newcomer with Hollywood experience to helm the Stamford live-action promoter’s motion-picture division.
Michael Luisi immediately takes over as president of Hollywood-based WWE Studios, the company said Thursday.
His boss, Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon, said Luisi inherits his predecessor’s responsibility for leveraging the appetites of WWE’s core global audience of 500 million households into sales of movie tickets, home videos and video-on-demand.
Luisi, a veteran entertainment lawyer and Hollywood studio executive who just joined WWE in January as executive vice president of business development and general counsel, succeeds former WWE Studios chief Mike Pavone. Pavone “amicably” parted ways with the studio in mid-August, a WWE spokeswoman said.
Luisi’s first assignment is overseeing post production of “No One Lives,” a film project he helped the studio land right after joining WWE, WWE said. The movie is a co-production between Pathe Pictures and WWEÂ Studios, starring Luke Evans (The Immortals) and directed by Ryuhei Kitamura.
Prior to joining WWE, Luisi spent 12 years at Miramax Films, most recently as executive vice President, worldwide operations, when it was still owned by Walt Disney Co., parent of  Bristol sports programmer ESPN.
Though based in Stamford, Luisi will spend much of his time in WWE Studios’ Los Angeles offices, the spokeswoman said.
