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)





[04/25/24 - 08:30 AM]
CBS Renews Drama "The Equalizer" for the 2024-2025 Broadcast Season
It is a top 10 primetime broadcast drama, ranking #8 overall season-to-date with 7.89 million viewers, according to Nielsen Most Current Data.

[04/25/24 - 08:01 AM]
Paramount+ Announces New Docuseries "Lolla: The Story of Lollapalooza" to Premiere May 21
Directed by the multi-Emmy nominated Michael John Warren and executive produced by multi-Emmy nominees James Lee Hernandez and Brian Lazarte, the three-part series made its triumphant world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.

[04/25/24 - 08:00 AM]
Lights, Camera... "Action"! The High-Octane Documentary Series Makes Its Streaming Debut on Peacock on April 26
The new series features the real lives behind some of Hollywood's top stunt performers, including behind-the-scenes footage of Universal Pictures' The Fall Guy (in theaters May 3).

[04/25/24 - 05:00 AM]
Entertainment Icon Reba McEntire to Host the 59th Academy of Country Music Awards
The 16-time ACM Award-winning host will also take center stage to perform new music, in addition to helming country music's longest-running awards show.

[04/25/24 - 12:01 AM]
Video: "In Good Hands 2" - Date Announcement - Netflix
A newly reunited father and son grapple with new beginnings after tragedy, but can they manage to fill the void left by a beloved wife and mother?

[04/24/24 - 08:01 PM]
Video: "Monster" - Official Trailer - Netflix
After being abducted and taken to a desolate house, a girl sets out to rescue her friend and escape from their malicious kidnapper.

[04/24/24 - 02:01 PM]
Video: "Drawing Closer" - Official Teaser - Netflix
The film is a live-action adaptation of a best-selling novel that became a hot topic on social media for how it moves readers to tears.

[04/24/24 - 01:45 PM]
What's New on Max This May
Highlights include new seasons of "Hacks" and "Pretty Little Liars: Summer School"; and the streaming debuts of "Turtles All The Way Down," "Stop Making Sense" and "The Iron Claw."

[04/24/24 - 01:32 PM]
Tracee Ellis Ross Packs Her (Many) Bags for New Roku Original Travel Doc-Series "Tracee Travels" (wt)
The docu-series will shoot later this year and debut exclusively on The Roku Channel in 2025.

[04/24/24 - 10:59 AM]
Prime Video Announces Premiere Date and Key Art for Stand-Up Comedy Special "Marlon Wayans: Good Grief"
The one-hour special will premiere in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide on June 4.

[04/24/24 - 09:09 AM]
Video: Disney+ Shares Official Trailer for "Jim Henson Idea Man"
Produced with the full participation and cooperation of the Henson family, "Jim Henson Idea Man" is an unprecedented, intimate look at Henson's illustrious, revolutionary career and complex personal life.

[04/24/24 - 09:05 AM]
Gird Your Loins! Prime Video Releases Official First Look Images and Launch Date for "My Lady Jane"
Also announced, the series will premiere exclusively on Prime Video on Thursday, June 27 in more than 240 countries and territories around the world.

[04/24/24 - 09:01 AM]
Steve Carell to Star in "The Four Seasons" Netflix Comedy Series from Universal Television
Carell will star in the series alongside Tina Fey.

[04/24/24 - 09:01 AM]
ID Announces New Docuseries "Fallen Idols: Nick and Aaron Carter"
From their outsized fame in the late 1990s and early 2000s to their headline-making struggles in recent years, the docuseries pulls back the curtain on the fraught dynamic of the Carter family and the dark side of such an abrupt rise to fame.

[04/24/24 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Black Twitter: A People's History" - Official Trailer - Hulu
The rise, movements, voices and memes that made Black Twitter an influential and dominant force in nearly every aspect of American political and cultural life.