or


[06/05/13 - 10:17 AM]
Spike TV Bolsters Original Series Department with New Additions and Key Promotions
Chris Rantamaki is promoted to Senior Vice President, Original Series while Justin Lacob is promoted to Vice President, Original Series.

[via press release from Spike TV]

SPIKE TV BOLSTERS ORIGINAL SERIES DEPARTMENT WITH NEW ADDITIONS AND KEY PROMOTIONS

Los Angeles, CA, June 5, 2013 - As Spike TV continues to evolve and develop its brand through broad-appealing original programming, the network is announcing additions and promotions to its Original Series Team. The department's growth correlates with the network's biggest ever commitment to originals, which include the network's hit series "Ink Master," "Bar Rescue," "Tattoo Nightmares," "Auction Hunters," and the upcoming "Fight Master" and "Criss Angel: Believe."

"The Original Series team's expansion reflects our ever-continuing goal to create distinctive, bold shows geared toward a more-gender balanced audience," said Sharon Levy, Executive Vice President, Original Series, Spike TV. "We are developing more original series than ever before, and we are bringing in two real superstars in Kevin Bartel and Hayley Lozitsky to join one of the best development teams in the business."

The Original Series department changes include the following:

Chris Rantamaki is promoted to Senior Vice President, Original Series and will continue to report to Levy. Rantamaki will oversee the day-to-day department activities relating to development and production. Rantamaki joined Spike in April 2011 as Vice President, Original Series and was instrumental in developing the highest-rated series on the channel, "Ink Master," which delivered nearly three million viewers for its most recent season finale. Rantamaki also oversees the successful "Tattoo Nightmares," "World's Worst Tenants" and "Urban Tarzan." Before joining Spike, Rantamaki spent four years at the Discovery Channel.

"I am thrilled to announce Chris's well-deserved promotion today. He'll now be taking more of a leadership role in the department and company," said Levy. "He is a rising star in our industry and his creativity, passion and taste have played an enormous role in helping Spike grow its slate of successful original programming."

Justin Lacob is promoted to Vice President, Original Series. Lacob previously served as Director where he oversaw two of the network's signature series, the critically-acclaimed "Bar Rescue" and "Savage Family Diggers." Lacob is now developing two of the network's highly anticipated series, the upcoming "Tattoo Rescue" and "10 Million Dollar Big Foot Bounty." In his new role, Lacob will also work with Levy and other members of the team in the development of the network's scripted miniseries. Lacob came to Spike following a two-year stint at Intuitive Entertainment, where he served as Senior Director of Development overseeing such projects as "LA Shrinks" and "Love Broker" for Bravo.

Hayley Lozitsky joins Spike TV as Vice President, Original Series. Lozitsky previously served as Senior Vice President of Development at Ellen Rakieten Entertainment where she developed non-scripted/scripted programming. Among the series she developed include "Trisha's Southern Kitchen" for Food Network, "Pretty Wicked Moms" for Lifetime and "Hideous Houses" for A&E. Prior to that, Lozitsky was an agent specializing in non-scripted television at UTA. She began her career at E! and Style Network in Programming and Development.

Kevin Bartel joins Spike TV as Vice President, Original Series. Bartel previously served as Vice President of Development and Current Programming for All3Media America. Prior to that, Bartel joined Eli Holzman as one of the first employees of the U.S. arm of the British production company, Studio Lambert and helped launch "Undercover Boss," the #1 new show of the 2009-2010 season for CBS. Working across All3media Americas diverse slate of projects, Bartel has helped develop and produce television for A&E, AMC, Animal Planet, Bravo, CBS, CMT, CW, Discovery, E!, Lifetime, Logo, MTV, Nat Geo, NBC, Oxygen, Spike, Style, SyFy, TLC, TNT, Travel, TruTV, Vh1 and USA.

After nine years at Spike TV, Senior Vice President Tim Duffy will be leaving this fall to start a production company with his twin brother, Mike Duffy. "Tim has been an invaluable asset to me and a tremendous force in developing some of Spike's signature series. While we will miss Tim on our team, we are very excited to partner with him on a development deal as he sets out to create our next hit series with his new production company. We wish him tremendous luck and a big thank you for his time here."

About Spike:

Spike is available in 98.7 million homes and is a division of Viacom Media Networks. A unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), Viacom Media Networks is one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike's Internet address is www.spike.com.





  [june 2013]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
      


· AUCTION HUNTERS (SPIKE TV)
· BAR RESCUE (PARAMOUNT)
· CRISS ANGEL BELIEVE (SPIKE TV)
· FIGHT MASTER: BELLATOR MMA (SPIKE TV)
· INK MASTER (PARAMOUNT PLUS)
· TATTOO NIGHTMARES (SPIKE TV)





[09/29/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of September 21 - "Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story" Takes the No. 1 Spot for a Second Week
"Unabomber" premiered in the top spot on the English film list, gathering 16.4 million views.

[09/29/26 - 12:00 PM]
USA Sports Delivers Viewership Records and Milestones in Inaugural Season of WNBA Coverage Ahead of WNBA Finals on USA Network This October
USA Sports averaged 525,000 viewers across its 48 regular-season games - the most national games of any broadcaster - up 25% vs. 2025 WNBA cable average viewership.

[09/29/26 - 11:01 AM]
Put It All on Vanderpump! Bravo Hits the Jackpot When "Vanderpump Rules: Lisa Las Vegas" Premieres Tuesday, Oct. 20 at 9 P.M. ET/PT
Lisa Vanderpump has been reigning over the Las Vegas Strip for years now with three hotspot restaurants serving up chic cocktails, over-the-top glamour and her signature brand of whimsy.

[09/29/26 - 10:36 AM]
AMC Global Media Greenlights "Happy Jack" - New Comedy Series Starring Charlie and Martin Sheen, Playing a Father-and-Son Duo, to Premiere on AMC and AMC+ in 2027
"Happy Jack" is a contemporary family comedy featuring one of America's favorite comedic actors.

[09/29/26 - 10:02 AM]
Date Announcement: Hulu's "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives: Orange County"
The all-new series premieres with all 10 episodes November 12 on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers in the U.S. and Disney+ internationally.

[09/29/26 - 10:01 AM]
Video: "The New Stanford Prison Experiment" - Official Trailer - Netflix
In this modern reimagining of the infamous study, 30 people enter a real prison for two weeks and shifting power dynamics expose what they're capable of.

[09/29/26 - 09:50 AM]
"Jimmy Kimmel Live" Finishes 2025-2026 Season with Largest Overall Audience in Eight Years and Strongest Adults 18-49 in Four Years
In the final week of the 2025-2026 season, "Jimmy Kimmel Live" ranked No. 1 in both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49.

[09/29/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: Trailer & Key Art Debut - Hulu's "Phony"
"Phony" premieres on October 20 on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers in the US, and Disney+ internationally.

[09/29/26 - 09:00 AM]
Paramount+ Presents a Historic Week of Combat Sports Headlined by "UFC 332: Silva vs. Wang," The First Full Main Card of a UFC Numbered Event Ever Simulcast on CBS and Paramount+
CBS coverage of UFC 332 will immediately follow college football on Saturday at 7:30 PM, ET/ 4:30 PM, PT.

[09/29/26 - 08:16 AM]
Video: "Campus Drivers" - Official Teaser - Prime Video
The adaptation of C.S. Quill's saga premieres November 6 on Prime Video.

[09/29/26 - 08:07 AM]
Discovery Channel October Programming Highlights
New seasons of "Contraband: Seized at the Border" and "Rocky Mountain Wreckers" will join the previously announced return of "Gold Rush."

[09/29/26 - 08:01 AM]
Investigation Discovery Spotlights the Haight Family Tragedy in New Special "Toxic: What Happened in the Haight House?"
The two-hour special premieres Tuesday, October 27 from 9-11pm ET/PT on ID and will be available to stream on HBO Max, anchoring the network's 5th annual "No Excuse for Abuse" campaign for Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

[09/29/26 - 07:31 AM]
Joins the Cast of AMC Global Media's Critically Acclaimed Drama, "The Audacity"
Hollander will portray Big Tim, the powerful tech billionaire and CEO of Cupertino, whose carefully curated public persona masks his insatiable appetite for control and revenge.

[09/29/26 - 07:16 AM]
"Icebreaker" Sticks the Landing, Adding Six to Round Out Series Regulars
Gabriel Tierney, Auli'i Cravalho, Peter Berry, Chaneil Kular, Devin Craig, and Aidan Shaw join the previously announced leads Daisy Jelley and Connor Simos.

[09/29/26 - 07:05 AM]
Paramount+ Announces Upcoming Slate of British Series from A24
These series include the upcoming comedy, "It Gets Worse," the coming-of-age drama, "Major Players," and the TV adaption of the award-winning, New York Times-bestselling novel, "The Ministry of Time."