or


[07/10/19 - 10:00 AM]
Disney Television Studios Restructures Leadership Team
At ABC Studios, Jonnie Davis has been named president.

[via press release from The Walt Disney Company]

DISNEY TELEVISION STUDIOS RESTRUCTURES LEADERSHIP TEAM

Jonnie Davis to Lead ABC Studios as President

Carolyn Cassidy Elevated to President, Creative Affairs, 20th Century Fox Television, to Lead Studio Alongside Howard Kurtzman, President, Business Operations;

Josh Sussman to Join ABC Studios as Executive Vice President, Business Affairs

Disney Television Studios today announced the restructuring of its leadership team. At ABC Studios, Jonnie Davis has been named president. At 20th Century Fox Television, Carolyn Cassidy has been promoted to president, Creative Affairs, to run that studio alongside Howard Kurtzman, who continues as president of Business Operations. Josh Sussman will be promoted to executive vice president, Business Affairs, ABC Studios, where he will work for Davis. The new appointments were announced today by Craig Hunegs, president of Disney Television Studios, to whom Davis, Cassidy and Kurtzman will report. Bert Salke continues as president, Fox 21 Television Studios, also reporting to Hunegs.

"This exceptional group is uniquely qualified to continue building our position as the strongest studios in the industry and the very best home for talent," explained Hunegs.

"Jonnie is a great leader with infectious energy and optimism, as well as an incredible partner to our creators. The award-winning quality, diversity and sheer number of series he developed and oversaw at 20th, along with the relationships he has with writers, producers, directors and actors, are second to none. Together with Josh, a gifted business affairs strategist, Jonnie is poised to take ABC Studios to even greater levels of success."

Continued Hunegs, "Carolyn is an absolute star creative executive with extraordinary leadership skills, a deep understanding of the studio and great relationships with our creators and entire company. We are thrilled that Howard will continue alongside her, as together they make a formidable team. With Fox 21 Television Studios remaining under Bert Salke and Vibiana Molina overseeing business affairs, these three dynamic companies have the exceptional leadership to ensure Disney Television Studios remains a world-class studio and the best home for creators and great storytelling."

As part of the restructuring, Patrick Moran and Howard Davine will step down from their leadership roles at ABC Studios. Said Hunegs, "I have enormous respect for Patrick and Howard and for all they have achieved in their careers at ABC Studios. Patrick has developed and overseen many landmark series and has an excellent slate of new shows. I have known Howard for many years, and he is one of the most accomplished and effective business affairs executives in our industry, having made a number of groundbreaking deals and run an excellent business. Together they have brought to ABC Studios a wonderful group of writers, producers and executives and made a lasting contribution to The Walt Disney Company."

Jonnie Davis joined 20th Century Fox Television in January 2008 as senior vice president, Comedy Development, and soon rose to executive vice president of Comedy. Later, he held the role of executive vice president, Comedy and Animation Development, before being named president of Creative Affairs, alongside Business Operations President Howard Kurtzman. He helped develop "This Is Us," broadcast's most-watched drama and the studio's blockbuster comedy hit "Modern Family" (which has won both the Emmy(R) and Golden Globe(R) for Best Comedy Series), as well as strong performers "New Girl," "Fresh Off the Boat," "Last Man on Earth" and "Last Man Standing." He also oversaw the studio's recent expansion into animation development which includes the upcoming "Bless the Harts," "Duncanville," "Solar Opposites" and "Central Park."

Prior to TCFTV, Davis served as vice president, Comedy Development at FBC, and began in the network's Alternative Programming area, working on such reality hits as "The Simple Life," "Joe Millionaire" and "American Idol."

Carolyn Cassidy most recently served as executive vice president, Current Series for 20th Century Fox Television, and ran the current series department since July 2015. She oversaw a team of executives responsible for managing the studio's robust slate of live-action television series for platforms such as FBC, ABC, NBC, FX, Hulu, Disney+ and Netflix. In this role, she has grown franchise hits such as "This Is Us," "Empire," "9-1-1" and "Modern Family." She has worked with many of the studio's highest-profile creators including Lee Daniels, Liz Meriwether, Dan Fogelman, Steve Levitan and Seth MacFarlane, as well as nurtured the next generation of hit-makers working on TCFTV shows.

Cassidy first joined 20th Century Fox TV in August 2009 as vice president, Comedy Series. She developed "New Girl," "Fresh Off the Boat" and "Last Man Standing." Cassidy started her career as a current executive at NBC where she worked on series such as "Will & Grace," "The Office," "Las Vegas" and "Ed." She also served as a comedy development executive at ABC Studios. She is a graduate of Harvard University.

Josh Sussman has served as senior vice president, Business Affairs at 20th Century Fox Television since 2016. Prior to joining the studio, he was executive vice president, Business Affairs, and general counsel at Electus, where he oversaw business and legal affairs for Electus' scripted and unscripted business, Electus International, Electus Content Marketing and Electus Digital. Before joining Electus, Sussman was vice president, GC of Programming at IAC/InterActiveCorp, overseeing business and legal affairs for IAC's programming businesses - including Notional, a television production company, CollegeHumor Media and The Daily Beast, among others - and helping IAC senior management oversee operations of those businesses. He began his career as an associate at the law firm of Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP. Sussman graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan and received a Juris Doctor from Fordham University School of Law.

About Disney Television Studios

Disney Television Studios is a collection of studios comprised of 20th Century Fox Television, ABC Studios and Fox 21 Television Studios. DTS produces the most award-winning, culture-defining programming for all platforms including "This Is Us," "Grey's Anatomy," "Homeland," "Modern Family," "black-ish," "Fosse/Verdon," "American Horror Story" and "Marvel's Cloak & Dagger." Disney Television Studios currently produces 69 series across 16 broadcast, cable, digital and international platforms. Its programming now reaches more than a billion people every day across the world; in as many as 180 countries, across six continents, in 30 different languages.





  [july 2019]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
 


· SHOWATCH
(series past and present)
· DEVWATCH
(series in development)
· MOVIEWATCH
(tv movies and mini-series)





[01/03/25 - 04:06 PM]
College Football Playoff Quarterfinals Score Strong Viewership Across ESPN Platforms
Rose Bowl Game Presented by Prudential registers 21.1 million viewers, the most-watched non-NFL sporting event since the 2024 CFP National Championship.

[01/03/25 - 12:00 PM]
ESPN NBA Schedule Update: Memphis Grizzlies Visit San Antonio Spurs on January 17
This matchup replaces the previously scheduled Charlotte Hornets vs. Chicago Bulls game.

[01/03/25 - 11:31 AM]
MGM+ Unveils "Godfather of Harlem" Season Four First Look Images
In Season 4, Bumpy Johnson continues his bloody war for control of Harlem against New York's Mafia families, while contending with the emergence of a potential rival in newly arrived Black gangster Frank Lucas.

[01/03/25 - 10:00 AM]
Video: "Grosse Pointe Garden Society" - Official Sneak Peek - NBC
When four members of a suburban garden club get entangled in a scandalous murder, they're forced to bury the body - in their own well-manicured flower beds.

[01/03/25 - 09:09 AM]
Lifetime Unveils Full "Voices of a Lifetime" 2025 Slate with Music Icons Mary J. Blige, Lisa Lisa and Gloria Gaynor
The movie event kicks off on Saturday, January 25 at 8:00/7:00c with an all-new original movie executive produced by Mary J. Blige along with Jordan and John Davis.

[01/03/25 - 08:37 AM]
Date Announcement and First Look: Hulu Original Series "Shoresy"
Created by and starring Jared Keeso, "Shoresy" returns for season four on Wednesday, February 26 with all six new episodes exclusively available in the U.S. on Hulu.

[01/03/25 - 08:00 AM]
Video: AMC/AMC+ Release a Gripping New Teaser Trailer for Hit Noir Thriller "Dark Winds" Starring Zahn McClarnon
"Dark Winds" will return with an expanded third season exclusively on AMC and AMC+ on Sunday, March 9 at 9pm ET/PT with new episodes airing weekly on Sundays.

[01/03/25 - 07:00 AM]
Peacock Exclusively Streams DreamWorks' "The Wild Robot" Beginning January 24
Directed by three-time Academy Award nominee Chris Sanders, the heartwarming critically acclaimed film is voiced by Lupita Nyong'o, Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor, Bill Nighy, Stephanie Hsu, Matt Berry, Ving Rhames, Mark Hamill and Catherine O'Hara.

[01/02/25 - 10:31 PM]
Video: "Paatal Lok" Season 2 - Official Teaser - Prime Video
A down and out cop lands the case of a lifetime when four suspects are nabbed in the assassination attempt of a prime time journalist.

[01/02/25 - 09:31 PM]
Video: "Black Warrant" - Official Trailer - Netflix
One jailer, thousands of criminals, and the dark secrets of a prison like never before.

[01/02/25 - 01:03 PM]
Video: All-New Extended Trailer for Survivalist Competition Series "Extracted" Set to Premiere Monday, February 10 on FOX
"Extracted" features 12 untrained competitors attempting to survive extremely grueling conditions, perilous terrain, and the threat of fearsome predators in the unforgiving Canadian wilderness.

[01/02/25 - 01:00 PM]
ABC's "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2025" Is Top Program of the Night Across Primetime and Late-Night
The festive, star-studded celebration rings in the new year with 18 million total viewers during late-night edition - peaking at 22 million viewers during midnight quarter hour.

[01/02/25 - 12:51 PM]
Prime Video Registers TNF's Most-Watched Season in the 19-Year History of the Package Across Key Demographics
According to Nielsen's Panel Only measurement, TNF on Prime Video posted an +11% average viewership increase among total viewers over the previous season (13.20 million vs. 11.86 million).

[01/02/25 - 12:03 PM]
Video: Official Season 7 Trailer - "The Rookie"
John Nolan, once the oldest rookie in the LAPD, has used his life experience, determination and sense of humor to keep up with rookies 20 years his junior.

[01/02/25 - 12:01 PM]
Diddy's Inner Circle Breaks Their Silence in Peacock's All-New Documentary Special "Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy"
The 90-minute documentary special tells the story of Sean Combs' early years and his decades-long transformation to Puffy and then to Diddy, with crucial insight into the forces that shaped the man and may have made him a monster.