FOX Restructures Current Programming Team, Adds New Event Series

Related: FOX

FOX Broadcasting Company (FOX) Chairman of Entertainment Kevin Reilly and Chief Operating Officer Joe Earley today announced a restructuring and expansion of the network's Programming team designed to foster the company's expanding programming efforts.
Beginning immediately, The Following leadership changes are in effect:

James Oh has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Current Programming. In this role, he will oversee production and creative coverage of all of FOX's new and returning scripted series, including THE FOLLOWING, BONES, NEW GIRL, RAISING HOPE, THE MINDY PROJECT, GLEE, TOUCH, FAMILY GUY, THE SIMPSONS, BOB'S BURGERS, THE CLEVELAND SHOW, AMERICAN DAD and MURDER POLICE. Mr. Oh will report to Mr. Earley and will assume the day-to-day management of the network's entire Current Programming team.

Shana C. Waterman has been named Senior Vice President, Event Series & Multi-Platform Programming, a newly-created department within FOX dedicated to managing the network's limited-run and digital programming initiatives. Ms. Waterman will commission and develop long-form event series for FOX, working closely with FX Productions, and separately will oversee the content in the network's new multi-platform programming, including Animation Domination High-Def (ADHD), THE SHORT-COM COMEDY HOUR (Working Title), WIGS and other digital-to-broadcast efforts. She will report to Mr. Reilly.

In addition, FOX has hired Kiliaen Van Rensselaer as Senior Vice President, Multi-Platform Programming. Previously Senior Vice President, Digital Media at News Corporation, Mr. Van Rensselaer will serve as the senior operational executive dedicated to FOX's multi-platform programming and will work closely with Mr. Earley and Ms. Waterman to manage and grow that business.

"These appointments are an investment in some of our top people to strengthen our core programming business and take strategic steps forward with alternative platforms to incubate talent and ideas," said Mr. Reilly. "With James - our 'go-to' Current exec for many years - heading up our Current team, Shana - a creative self-starter who has driven some of FOX's most exciting initiatives - now heading up our Event Series and Multi-Platform efforts and Kiliaen - a key player from News Corp. Digital who has a deep background in digital strategy - now driving our new platforms business, we have the leaders and structure in place to run the most forward-thinking programming team in the industry."

Mr. Oh was previously Vice President, Current Programming at FOX, supervising new and returning series such as THE FOLLOWING, BONES, THE SIMPSONS, "24," and "King of the Hill." Prior to that, he held leadership roles within the network's program and audience research departments, where he provided strategic analyses evaluating overall network, program and schedule strengths. Before joining FOX in April 1998, Mr. Oh held production and market research roles at Vibe TV and The Martec Group. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Previously, Ms. Waterman served as FOX's Senior Vice President, Current Programming, overseeing FOX's new and returning series. Her program slate included GLEE, "Fringe," FAMILY GUY, AMERICAN DAD, RAISING HOPE, "House" and THE MINDY PROJECT. She also spearheaded the FOX Innovators Group (FIG), the network's internal think tank-style program designed to foster entrepreneurial thinking and innovation among employees. Prior to joining FOX as Director of Current Programming in 2006, Ms. Waterman was a Manager of Development at Timberman/Beverly Productions. In addition to her work in television, Ms. Waterman has sustained her ongoing interest in theater. She completed several years of service as a board member and former chair of Los Angeles-based Cornerstone Theater Company and has worked as a consultant to New Haven's Tony Award-winning Long Wharf Theatre. She also served as a senior researcher for playwright/actor Anna Deavere Smith, and in that capacity, participated in Harvard University's Institute on the Arts and Civic Dialogue. Ms. Waterman produced the play "Ah-Ha Moments," which was nominated for an NAACP Excellence in Theater Award. Currently, she serves on the Board of the New York Foundation for the Arts. Ms. Waterman is a graduate of Yale College and Yale Law School.

Mr. Van Rensselaer joins the FOX team from News Corporation, where he was Senior Vice President of Marketing & Partnerships, Digital Media. Most recently, he helped lead strategy for digital distribution of key media properties, identified and gestated new businesses, and managed the scripted digital video entertainment venture WIGS, which launched last year on YouTube. Separately, he spearheaded negotiations with wireless carriers, mobile device OEMs and retailers for distribution agreements on behalf of many News Corp. properties, including The Wall Street Journal, FOX News, and IGN. In 2008, Mr. Van Rensselaer helped start a software and services e-reading company called Skiff that was acquired by News Corp. in 2010. Prior to Skiff, Mr. Van Rensselaer served as Executive Director of National Marketing at AT&T Mobility (formerly Cingular Wireless), responsible for customer acquisition. While at AT&T, he was the primary marketing executive on the iPhone deal team that structured the original exclusive agreement directly with Steve Jobs and he played a key role on the task force that collaborated with Apple for the record-breaking launch phase of the product. Mr. Van Rensselaer has also held senior marketing roles at Tickets.com, Colgate-Palmolive and the H.J. Heinz Company. He has a B.A. with honors from Trinity College in Hartford, CT.

About FOX Broadcasting Company

Fox Broadcasting Company (FOX) is a unit of News Corporation. 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.