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)





[12/03/24 - 11:00 AM]
TLC Announces New Series "Baylen Out Loud"
The new series features Baylen Dupree, a vibrant and resilient 22-year-old with Tourette Syndrome.

[12/03/24 - 10:03 AM]
Video: BritBox Reveals Trailer and First Look for "A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story," Starring Lucy Boynton, Toby Jones, and Bessie Carter
The series, which stars Lucy Boynton as ambitious, brave and steadfast Ruth Ellis, the last woman hanged in Britain, will premiere with two episodes on February 17.

[12/03/24 - 10:01 AM]
"The Recruit" Season 2 - Date Announcement & First Look Debut
Netflix's action packed espionage series starring Noah Centineo returns for its second season on January 30.

[12/03/24 - 09:10 AM]
Max Sets January 16 Premiere Date for New Animated Original Series "Mermicorno: Starfall"
The series invites audiences into a dazzling underwater world where a team of Mermicornos (enchanting mermaid-unicorns) embark on exciting, hilarious and stylish adventures to save the ocean from the evil Ika Inkblot.

[12/03/24 - 09:06 AM]
Peacock's Fan-Favorite Drama Series "Bel-Air" Renewed for Fourth and Final Season
Set in modern-day Los Angeles, "Bel-Air" reimagines the iconic culture-defining '90s sitcom "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" through a new, dramatic take on Will's complicated journey from the streets of West Philadelphia to the gated mansions of Bel-Air.

[12/03/24 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Big Boys" - Official Trailer - Hulu
A comedy about two mismatched boys who strike up an unlikely friendship when they're thrown together at university. They'll explore, experiment, and try to discover themselves, whilst also helping one another along the way.

[12/03/24 - 08:44 AM]
Sean Hannity to Host New Long-Form Interview Show "Sean" on FOX Nation
Episode one kicks off with iconic actor, writer and director Sylvester Stallone alongside his wife, entrepreneur, and model Jennifer Flavin Stallone.

[12/03/24 - 08:01 AM]
Crime Drama "The Gold" Is Coming to "Masterpiece" on PBS
A second season, which delves into the decades-long aftermath of the historic crime, will also air on "Masterpiece."

[12/03/24 - 07:34 AM]
Video: Apple TV+ Unveils Trailer for Stunning Docuseries "The Secret Lives of Animals"
Hailing from the acclaimed BBC Studios Natural History Unit, the series will debut globally on December 18 on Apple TV+.

[12/03/24 - 07:13 AM]
Apple TV+ Unveils First Look at Season Two of Psychological Thriller "Surface" Starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw
The eight-episode second season premieres globally on Apple TV+ on Friday, February 21, followed by new episodes every Friday through April 11.

[12/03/24 - 07:01 AM]
"Smile 2" Possesses Paramount+ - Critically Acclaimed Second Installment of the Box Office Hit Horror Franchise Is Available to Stream Now Exclusively on Paramount+
About to embark on a new world tour, global pop sensation Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) begins experiencing increasingly terrifying and inexplicable events.

[12/03/24 - 07:00 AM]
Sky and Starz Darkly Comic Thriller "Sweetpea" to Return for a Second Killer Season
Season 2 will see Rhiannon Lewis return with a vengeance as her killer secret continues to spiral, and she becomes more twisted than ever.

[12/03/24 - 06:31 AM]
Philomena Cunk Returns for a One-Hour Special, "Cunk on Life," Where She Will Try to Answer the Age Old Question "What's The Point of It All?"
Netflix will stream it globally outside of the UK and Ireland starting January 2.

[12/03/24 - 06:00 AM]
"Family Guy" Returns to Adult Swim's Primetime Lineup in 2025 with Episodes Airing Every Weekday at 10PM ET/PT
To mark the return of "Family Guy," Adult Swim will also host a three-day marathon of episodes every evening from 7pm to 5am ET/PT beginning Wednesday, January 1.

[12/03/24 - 04:01 AM]
Liza Minnelli's Highly Anticipated Memoir Optioned for Television Adaptation by Magnolia Hill Productions and Warner Bros. Television
The project is the result of over 15 years of deeply personal recorded conversations between Minnelli and her long-term creative partner Michael Feinstein, a Grammy and Emmy nominee, Tony Award recipient, and the world's leading authority on the Great American Songbook.