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)





[07/01/24 - 02:41 PM]
Simone Biles Stars at U.S. Gymnastics Trials on NBC & Peacock in Most-Watched Olympic Trials Telecast Since 2016
Last night's audience peaked at 8.2 million viewers from 10-10:15 p.m. ET as the gymnasts completed their final rotations.

[07/01/24 - 12:01 PM]
Video: "Those About to Die" - Official Trailer 2 - Peacock Original
The epic drama is set in the corrupt world of the spectacle-driven gladiatorial competition, exploring a side of ancient Rome never before told - the dirty business of entertaining the masses, giving the mob what they want most... blood and sport.

[07/01/24 - 10:19 AM]
Julianne Moore, Meghann Fahy, and Milly Alcock to Star in Netflix's Limited Series "Sirens"
The series is a female-driven, dark comedy limited series created by Emmy-nominated writer and showrunner Molly Smith Metzler and executive produced by LuckyChap.

[07/01/24 - 10:11 AM]
TNT Sports and Mountain West Reach Multi-Year College Football Agreement Beginning This Season
truTV and Max will present 14 Mountain West college football games during the inaugural season, with coverage kicking off with San José State hosting Sacramento State on Thursday, August 29 at 10 p.m. ET.

[07/01/24 - 09:31 AM]
Richard Gere Joins Showtime's "The Agency" for Paramount+ with Showtime
Gere will play Bosko, the London Station Chief with a storied past after serving as an 8-year undercover agent.

[07/01/24 - 09:30 AM]
Max Original Adult Animated Series "Kite Man: Hell Yeah!" Debuts July 18
The series features characters from the Max Original adult animated series "Harley Quinn," which has been renewed for a fifth season and is currently available to stream on Max.

[07/01/24 - 09:29 AM]
Prime Video Orders Docuseries About Idaho Murders from Skydance Television and Story Syndicate with Related Scripted Series in Development at Amazon MGM Studios
The docuseries will be shot in conjunction with the investigation and research of bestselling author James Patterson and award-winning investigative journalist Vicky Ward for their upcoming nonfiction title based on the murders.

[07/01/24 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa" - Official Trailer - Netflix
In this documentary, a Nepali mountaineer risks everything on a record-breaking Mount Everest climb to secure a brighter future for her daughters.

[07/01/24 - 08:42 AM]
Video: Episode 1 Trailer and Episode Descriptions Released for ESPN+ Original Series "In The Arena: Serena Williams" presented by Morgan Stanley
The eight-episode series offers an unprecedented look at the life and career of Serena Williams, one of the greatest athletes of all time.

[07/01/24 - 07:48 AM]
How to Watch the Olympic Games Paris 2024 Across NBCUniversal
In Paris this summer, the world's greatest athletes will compete against the backdrop of one of the most beautiful cities in the world where the modern Olympic Games were conceived 130 years ago.

[07/01/24 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "Cobra Kai" Season 6: Part 1 - Official Trailer - Netflix
With the global tournament approaching, Daniel and Johnny work to rebuild their team. But old enemies and new threats stand in the way of victory.

[07/01/24 - 07:00 AM]
Sherri Papini to Exclusively Share Her Story for the First Time Since 2016 Kidnapping in New Investigation Discovery Docuseries
Production is underway for the docuseries that is slated to premiere on ID in 2025.

[07/01/24 - 06:01 AM]
The Straw Hats Return to South Africa to Begin Production on Season 2 of Global Sensation "One Piece"
Prepare yourselves as the Straw Hats head towards the Grand Line!

[07/01/24 - 04:01 AM]
Video: "LALIGA: All Access" - Official Trailer - Netflix
From glorious wins to gut-wrenching defeats, catch the behind-the-scenes action of Spanish football in this gripping docuseries about LaLiga.

[06/30/24 - 08:13 AM]
New Rules and Format for 2024 T-Mobile Home Run Derby to Be Announced Tonight on ESPN's "Baseball Tonight" and "Sunday Night Baseball"
ESPN will exclusively televise the 2024 T-Mobile Home Run Derby on Monday, July 15, at 8 p.m. from Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas - home of the Rangers.