The sudden exit of Lionsgate executive Andrew Kramer was the result of an harassment allegation, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
Initially, when news of Kramer's departure surfaced on Thursday, many people speculated that it was restructuring as a result of the hiring of Joe Drake as co-president of the Motion Picture Group. However, those reports were dismissed once it was discovered that Kramer, who served as COO of International for Lionsgate's Motion Picture Group over the last four years, was under investigation after a senior Lionsgate executive reported an "inappropriate interaction" involving him and a female assistant at the Berlin International Film Festival back in February.
While the findings from the investigation were inconclusive, the assistant was reassigned after requesting to do so. Lionsgate is still adamant that Kramer's departure had more to do with restructuring than a harassment allegation, but the company also admits that the investigation "didn't help."
Following the news of Harvey Weinstein, former Amazon Studios executive Roy Price, and many high-ranking Hollywood moguls, companies are starting to take up a zero tolerance policy when dealing with these allegations. Maybe it's better late than ever, but also, there really should have been a zero tolerance policy in the first place.
