GINA BALIAN APPOINTED THE NEWLY CREATED POSITION OF SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, LIMITED SERIES, FX NETWORKS AND FX PRODUCTIONS
Former HBO Exec to Oversee Development and Production of Summer Event Series for FOX
Marking the Broadcast Network's Re-Entry into High-Profile, Long-Form Programming
Balian to Oversee All Facets of Original Miniseries for FX and FX Movie Channel
Marking FXM's Inauguration into the World of High-Profile, Long-Form Original Programming
LOS ANGELES, October 2, 2012 -- In its first significant move towards producing high-quality, long-form event series, FX Networks (FX and FX Movie Channel) and FX Productions, in association with Fox Broadcasting Company (FOX), has hired Gina Balian as Senior Vice President of Limited Series for FX Networks and FX Productions, it was announced today by John Landgraf, President of FX Networks, and Kevin Reilly, Chairman of Entertainment for Fox Broadcasting Company.
In the newly created position, Balian will be responsible for the development and production of limited and miniseries for FX and FXM. FOX will continue to do its own network buying, but will use FX Productions as a producing partner for its summer limited event series with Balian overseeing those projects on behalf of FXP. She will report jointly to Nick Grad, Executive Vice President, Original Programming for FX, and Eric Schrier, Executive Vice President of FX Productions and Head of Series Development for FX.
"Gina is an exceptional creative executive, and we're thrilled to welcome her to the FX family," said Landgraf. "We are committed to increasing FX's long-form offerings, and with FXM's growth the timing is perfect to add long-form original programming to its line-up. We're honored Kevin reached out to us to partner with him through FX Productions on FBC projects, and the relationship with FXP should be seamless because of Kevin's history with FX and his prior working relationship with Nick and Eric."
Balian starts her new post on November 1.
"We have been signaling our appetite for large-scale, high-impact event series for FOX for many months and we've begun buying towards that goal. We're going to create quality 10-to 12-part events that can stand alone or be evolved into franchises - events that will be big in scope and have top-tier talent attached," said Reilly. "Finding an executive like Gina to help spearhead this new business and shape the creative is an incredible first step for us. She has the expertise, relationships and industry savvy that we're looking for to help us aggressively build out this business."
FOX plans to order its first event series into production summer 2013 to air in 2014.
Balian previously served as Senior Vice President in drama series for HBO. During her early tenure at HBO, she worked on both comedy and drama series, developing the low-budget, experimental Flight of the Conchords and buying the series idea for How to Make it in America. She became the lead executive for HBO on Rome, Tell Me You Love Me and In Treatment. She also oversaw all creative on the network's recent hit series Game of Thrones, as well as Luck.
Balian began her career at the William Morris Agency in the TV Lit department.
Balian received her BA in English with a minor in Classics from University of California, Santa Barbara. She graduated magna cum laude and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa.
ABOUT FOX BROADCASTING COMPANY
Fox Broadcasting Company (FOX) is a unit of News Corporation and the leading broadcast television network among Adults 18-49. FOX finished the 2011-2012 season at No. 1 in the key adult demographic for the eighth consecutive year - a feat that has never been achieved in broadcast history - while continuing to dominate all network competition in the more targeted Adults 18-34 and Teen demographics. FOX airs 15 hours of primetime programming a week as well as late-night entertainment programming, major sports and Sunday morning news.
ABOUT FX NETWORKS
FX Networks consists of FX and FX Movie Channel (FXM). FX is the flagship general entertainment basic cable network from Fox. The diverse schedule features a growing roster of critically acclaimed and award-winning hit original drama and comedy series and miniseries; acquired box-office hit movies; acquired hit series; and live sports. Launched in June of 1994, FX is carried in more than 98 million homes. FXM features contemporary and classic films with limited commercial interruption. It is the only network presenting movies and original series for viewers who want to know how Hollywood movies and television series are made today. FX Movie Channel's expanding slate of award-winning, short-form original programming explores the movie and television making process from script to screen. From 3:00 AM to 3:00 PM ET, FXM features the Fox Movie Channel block dedicated to classic films from the Fox studio library. FXM is carried in more than 51 million homes (11/1/12).
ABOUT FX PRODUCTIONS
FX Productions produces the critically acclaimed hit comedy series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The League, Louie, Archer, Wilfred, the upcoming comedy Legit, and the new late night series BrandX with Russell Brand and Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell. FXP co-produces the award-winning hit drama series Sons of Anarchy and Justified, and the upcoming drama The Americans. FXP currently has production output deals in place with RCG Productions, the production company of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Executive Producer/Showrunners Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day and Glenn Howerton; Floyd County Productions, the production company of Archer Executive Producer/Showrunners Adam Reed and Matt Thompson; a cable exclusive, first-look pact with Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson and their Color Force production company; and a cable first-look deal with Paul Giamatti, Dan Carey and their production company, Touchy Feely Films.
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