Maintaining continuity at Universal Pictures is a top priority for Marc Shmuger and David Linde, who were named the studio's chairman and co-chairman, respectively, on Thursday.

Shmuger described the duo's ascendancy as "not a revolutionary change but an evolutionary one" for the studio, which had enjoyed stability in its senior management ranks for the past seven years under the leadership of Universal Studios president and chief operating officer Ron Meyer and former Uni Pictures chairman Stacey Snider. Snider resigned her Uni post last month to become co-chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures' newly acquired DreamWorks unit (HR 2/27).

"Right now, stability and collaborating with the great executives all throughout this company is the first thing we want to do and get everybody out of this period of uncertainty we've been in for the last couple of weeks," Shmuger said. Added Linde: "We are going to go out there and we're going to run this company in a way that is designed to empower the executives here and give the company the opportunity to grow in a very exciting period of time."

Shmuger has been with Universal Pictures since 1998 and has served as vice chairman since 2000, working closely with Snider on the marketing and distribution of Uni releases. Linde has been overseeing Universal's specialty film divisions as co-president of Focus Features and president of Rogue Pictures since 2002. Before that, Linde was one of three principals at the New York-based production outfit Good Machine, which Universal acquired in 2002, merging it with its existing Universal Focus specialty unit into Focus Features. Linde had served as co-president of Focus with James Schamus, who will become the sole head of the division, which has had a strong track record in recent years with such notable films as "Brokeback Mountain," "The Constant Gardener" and "Lost in Translation."

In their new roles, Shmuger and Linde will oversee all domestic and international business units of Universal Pictures, Focus Features/Rogue Pictures and Universal Studios Home Entertainment, including production, distribution, marketing, legal and business affairs, acquisitions, consumer products, corporate partnerships, strategic planning and finance for the film studio. Shmuger and Linde report to Meyer.

In the weeks since rumblings about Snider's move to DreamWorks surfaced, there was widespread speculation in the industry about potential candidates to succeed her in the top job at Uni Pictures. But on Thursday, Meyer said he could think of no one else to fill these crucial jobs than Shmuger and Linde.

"If I had to go on the outside looking for people, and those two guys were out there, I would have brought them in," Meyer said. "They have a tremendous understanding of the film business. David, having run Good Machine and really creating Focus from scratch, has great international experience and he understands the production business. Marc understands marketing and distribution as well if not better than anyone I've known. They are both leaders and consummate movie executives."

Neither Shmuger nor Linde has extensive experience in the nitty gritty of film production. Both made a point of citing the key roles that Universal Pictures presidents of production Donna Langley and Jon Gordon will play at the studio going forward.

"Really our goal is to be as supportive and as empowering to Donna and Jon as possible," Linde said. "And that is an organic process. It's not the kind of process that gets announced, it's a process that becomes apparent as the movies get made and released. It's very similar to the way (Schamus) and I ran things."

Shmuger also said he intends to sit down with Snider, who remains under contract to Uni through year's end, soon to pick her brain on all aspects of the studio.

"She has offered it, and I look forward to doing it," he said.

Thursday's formal announcement of the Shmuger-Linde regime was welcome news to Uni-based producers, who viewed the duo's selection as a good sign that there won't be much more upheaval to come.

Imagine Entertainment chairman Brian Grazer, who has been at the studio for 17 years, said he was "personally thrilled" by the news. He credited Shmuger's keen marketing sensibility for picking the release date for 2000's "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" -- which went on to become the highest-grossing movie of the year. He also said Shmuger created the risky multitiered platform release pattern for "A Beautiful Mind," which saw the movie gross more than $170 million and win the Oscar for best picture. And it was Shmuger that came up with the campaign for the Eminem starrer "8 Mile" that didn't show any faces on promotional material until the very end. The film ended up grossing more than $116 million.

"Why am I happy? Because the guy that has brought me the most success is now the chairman of the studio," Grazer said.

Shmuger has been a pivotal force in making the studio a welcoming place for filmmakers and other creative talent, said Andrew Miano, partner at Depth of Field with "American Pie" filmmakers Chris and Paul Weitz.

"The reason we love being at Universal is that it's a collaborative place," Miano said. "If there's a disagreement, it's never 'our way or get out of here,' it's always a collaboration and discussion and there's nothing more that you could want from your partner. ... These guys are two smart, big-picture guys who not only know a lot about making movies but understand a lot about the business of selling movies, and that's a good thing in today's day and age."

Shmuger joined Uni in 1998 as president of marketing after seven years as a top marketing executive at Sony Pictures Entertainment. Among the hits Uni has fielded during his tenure are "Erin Brockovich," "American Pie," "The Mummy," "The Fast and the Furious," "The Bourne Identity," "Meet the Parents" and "Ray."

Before joining Good Machine in 1997, Linde spent six years in acquisitions and sales at Miramax Films. Before Miramax, he worked in sales at Fox/Lorber and Paramount Pictures.