As the trailer and key art business faces an industry-wide transition, one company is looking to keep things steady by implementing an in-house succession plan.
Create, the entertainment marketing studio, has elevated its longtime exec Jonathan Gitlin to chief executive officer, succeeding founder David Stern who transitioned to chairman after leading the organization for more than two decades.
Stern will continue advising on long-term strategy as chairman, while Gitlin assumes responsibility for day-to-day operations alongside the senior leadership team.
“Jonathan embodies the values that define Create, creativity, strategic vision, and a deep commitment to our clients and team,” said Stern in a statement. “Over the past twenty years, he has helped shape the company’s growth and direction alongside an exceptional, homegrown team that has supported one another for many years. Together, they are helping rebuild and redefine the business, and I’m confident Create will continue to set the standard for our industry.”
At the same time, exec vp and creative executive Suneil Beri, who has been with the company for over 15 years and built up the company’s London office, will assume leadership of the film/series team to drive what the company calls “next-level creative innovation.”
The exec shuffle happens as the company expanded its key art and creative strategy practices across Los Angeles and London when it hired Joey Samaniego as creative director, head of key art, and Gerry Batson as global director, creative strategy. Samaniego’s recent credits include campaigns for The Bride!, The Mandalorian and Grogu, Sinners and GOAT. Batson joins the London office with campaign experience across Netflix, Amazon, and Apple, including The Boys, Gen V and Ted Lasso.
Gitlin is a 20-year veteran of the company, joining Create as a design intern in 2006. He steadily advanced through the organization, from 3D motion designer to creative director of design, then partner, and most recently, president. His progression through nearly every level of the agency has given him a firsthand perspective that few executives in entertainment marketing share, providing a uniquely comprehensive understanding of both the creative and operational sides of entertainment marketing.
Gitlin plans on staying on the course he set on while president, focusing the company’s commitment across three core areas: prioritizing culture and talent, further integrating its creative services across every vertical and between its London and Los Angeles offices, and investing in AI-native operations built for the next generation of entertainment marketing.
Gitlin’s ascension comes as Trailer Park Group, the long-standing, Clio Award-winning marketing agency that was the big player in the trailer and key art field, shuttered several key divisions earlier this month and is laying off around 150 positions. In 2025, the marketing arena was also shaken up with the creation of new rival firm Requiem.
Gitlin’s promotion also comes as Create heads into the 2026 Golden Trailer Awards, being held Thursday, with 16 nominations spanning across theatrical, streaming, television, games and behind-the-scenes categories. Nominated campaigns include Sinners, Tron: Ares, Mountainhead, Only Murders in the Building, Lilo & Stitch, Netflix’s War Machine, and Silent Hill f.
“I walked into this company as an intern twenty years ago,” Gitlin said in a statement. “Leading it now feels less about the title and more about a responsibility to the people who built this organization with me. It’s an honor to protect the culture and help guide the next generation who will define what it becomes.”
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