Participant has extended David Linde’s contract as chief executive officer with a multi-year deal, four years after the veteran executive joined the company.Participant founder Jeff Skoll, who launched the company as Participant Media in 2004, made the announcement Thursday.“David has done an exceptional job taking Participant to new heights the last four years,” Skoll said. “He possesses a rare combination of entertainment industry acumen, keen artistic sensibility, and a true passion to make a difference in the world through storytelling....
Participant Media
David
Linde
CEO
When the pandemic hit, Linde moved quickly to create a trio of PSA series designed to promote tactics to slow the spread of the coronavirus and combat misinformation, featuring “Minions” characters, “Sesame Street” Muppets and talent from its prescient 2011 film “Contagion,” including director Steven Soderbergh and star Matt Damon. The company also used the social impact campaigns for its films — including the documentaries “Slay the Dragon” (about gerrymandering), “John Lewis: Good Trouble” and Spike Lee’s film of David Byrne’s Broadway concert musical “American Utopia” — to encourage people to vote in the 2020 election. At the same time, he oversaw Participant’s production slate, which has nine films scheduled for release in 2021, including “Stillwater,” starring Damon, and “Judas and the Black Messiah.”