Longtime Oscar PR pro Leslie Unger is stepping down in December as communications director for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
The Academy installed a new CEO, Dawn Hudson, in June and tapped film PR and marketing vet Christina Kounelias as chief marketing officer in late July. The Academy’s PR was placed under Kounelias’ purview.
Unger is slated to exit on Dec. 2 after 19 years with the Academy. She joined in 1992 as a publicity coordinator and took the reins as communications director in 2007 on the retirement of John Pavlik after the 79th Academy Awards that year. Pavlik was the Oscars’ first in-house PR head, setting up the Academy’s unit in 1992.
Under most recently handled the resignation of Oscar producer Brett Ratner, following an anti-gay remark. His exit preceded the departure of comedian Eddie Murphy as host of the event.
The 84th Academy Awards event is planned for Feb. 26, 2012 with Billy Crystal as host.