UNIVERSAL CABLE PRODUCTIONS ANNOUNCES STUDIO STRUCTURE
Innovative Business Model Designed to Maximize Creativity and Profitability Across All Media Platforms
LOS ANGELES - July 20, 2008 - The structure of the recently established Universal Cable Productions was announced today by Bonnie Hammer, President, NBC Universal Cable Entertainment and Universal Cable Productions. Under Ms. Hammer's oversight, Universal Cable Productions will be headed by a five-person Management Team that will be responsible for identifying, developing and producing original content for cable television as well as original content for ancillary media platforms. The group will be based in Los Angeles.
"We are working to create a new way of doing business that taps into the strengths of the great team we have already in place, and deals head-on with the challenges facing media companies today. Universal Cable Productions will find content that not only works for our cable networks but -- equally important -- has a long tail of value for the entire company," said Ms. Hammer. "This structure eliminates management layers, empowering the team to evaluate and manage each project based on its maximum creative and financial potential, across all possible platforms."
Universal Cable Productions' development priority will be for the NBCU Cable Entertainment division, but will also include development for other cable networks and media platforms.
The Management Team will be made up of the following: Mark Stern, Co-Head, Original Content; Jeff Wachtel, Co-Head, Original Content; Javier Maynulet, Chief Financial Officer & Head of Operations; Beth Roberts, Head of Business Affairs; and Jerry DiCanio, Head of Production. The team will report directly to Ms. Hammer.
Reporting to the Management Team will be an Asset Creation Executive, who will be responsible for business development and maximizing revenue-generating opportunities for all Universal Cable Productions assets, including off-air content such as mobile, online and gaming. Also reporting to the team will be a new development executive, responsible primarily for creating content for networks outside the NBCU organization.
Additional staffing will be named shortly. The Management Team's new responsibilities will be in addition to their ongoing roles at NBCU.
Series currently in production at Universal Cable Productions include USA's MONK, PSYCH, IN PLAIN SIGHT and LAW & ORDER: CRIMINAL INTENT; the pilot ROYAL PAINS has been given a cast-contingent greenlight. SCI FI projects include EUREKA, WAREHOUSE 13 and back-door pilot CAPRICA, prequel to BATTLESTAR GALLACTICA, which recently completed production of its final season.
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