Michelle Hooper Leaves Searchlight After Two Decades of Award Campaigns

Michelle Hooper is exiting Searchlight Pictures as executive vice president of marketing. The departure concludes a 20 year tenure during which she managed the studio’s publicity, awards, and creative marketing efforts.

Her time at the company coincided with a period of substantial recognition for Searchlight. Since joining in 2006, the studio accumulated nearly 200 Oscar nominations and more than 130 Golden Globe nominations. The studio won 49 Academy Awards, including best picture trophies for Nomadland, The Shape of Water, Birdman, 12 Years a Slave, and Slumdog Millionaire. Searchlight also received 15 other best picture nominations at the Golden Globes for those titles and others.

Hooper was actively leading marketing campaigns for the current awards season. Her recent slate included the films Wild Horse Nine and Behemonth!. A longtime colleague described her as a stellar leader who could read a film for its place in the cultural moment. The colleague noted that Hooper closed campaigns by listening to real time feedback, calling her departure a loss for the studio and a gain for her next employer.

Before Searchlight, Hooper built her career in television. She served as director of entertainment communications at CBS Entertainment, where she helped shape the publicity strategy for Survivor. She also spent four years as vice president of entertainment publicity at Fox Broadcast. During that period, she worked on campaigns for The Simpsons, Arrested Development, and American Idol.

In 2025, Variety featured Hooper in its Women’s Impact Report. The piece highlighted the work of Searchlight executives Rebecca Kearey, DanTram Nguyen, and Katie Goodson. Their efforts contributed to 10 Academy Award nominations for A Complete Unknown and A Real Pain. Kieran Culkin won best supporting actor for his performance in the Jesse Eisenberg film.

In a joint statement, the team noted that Searchlight’s relationships with filmmakers allow the company to navigate business challenges. They stated that the studio trusts audiences still want films that entertain, challenge, and provoke.