Media firm’s CEO resigns

Jim Berk, chief executive of Beverly Hills entertainment company Participant Media, said Friday that he was resigning after eight years.

The company said its founder and chairman, Jeff Skoll, would serve as interim CEO while Participant looked for a permanent replacement for Berk, 55. His resignation took effect immediately, and was disclosed to employees in a Friday morning email.

Participant recently launched a strategic review of its business led by consulting firm McKinsey & Co. Founded in 2004, Participant is best known for developing and funding socially conscious films and waging campaigns for causes it deems to be for the public good.

In a statement, Skoll reiterated that mission. The billionaire and former EBay chief executive said he remained “committed to inspiring and compelling social change to the world’s most pressing problems through the power of great stories and engaging our audiences to take meaningful action.”

Participant’s film projects have included message movies such as “Food Inc.,” “The Kite Runner” and “The Help.” More recently, it also had a hand in the Edward Snowden documentary “Citizenfour,” which won an Oscar this year.

Skoll has indicated that he wants to grow the company by making more content for television and digital media and doing more business internationally.

The company’s non-film ventures have included digital magazine TakePart, launched in 2009, and cable network Pivot, created in 2013.

Berk, a former schoolteacher who spent more than a decade in education before turning to other business pursuits, said it had been a “tremendous privilege” to run the company and he looked forward to its “continued success.”