TNT‘s executive vice president of original programming Sarah Aubrey has been named the head of original content for WarnerMedia Streaming Service.
Kevin Reilly, president of TBS and TNT and chief creative officer for Turner and WarnerMedia Direct-to-Consumer, made the announcement on Thursday.
In addition, Reilly also named Brett Weitz general manager for TBS and TNT. Weitz was previously executive vice president of programming for TBS.
Aubrey joined TNT in 2015 as a member of the new executive team under Reilly and was responsible for overseeing all development and production of original and limited series. Prior to joining TNT, she was a television and film producer. She partnered with Peter Berg in their production company, Film 44, where she produced such projects as the acclaimed film and television series “Friday Night Lights,” the hit film “Lone Survivor,” and the HBO series “The Leftovers.” She also produced the hit comedy “Bad Santa” as well as “Lars and the Real Girl.”
Weitz also previously served as senior vice president of scripted development for TNT and TBS, where he developed and helped launch shows like “The Last Ship,” “Rizzoli & Isles,” “Falling Skies,” “Dallas,” and “Franklin & Bash.” He began his career in entertainment in the mailroom at UTA, where he quickly rose up through a number of positions to eventually become an executive at Michael Ovitz’s Artists Television Group. After a brief stint as a talent manager at Artists Management Group, Brett moved back into television development, holding positions at Columbia Tri-Star Television, 20th Century Fox Television, and fox21.
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Read Reilly’s full internal memo below.
Today I am very pleased to announce two key executive moves to position us moving forward.
First relating to the new WarnerMedia streaming service, I’m naming my longtime colleague Sarah Aubrey to Head of Original Content, reporting to me. In this position Sarah will oversee all original series and feature films for the new service.
Sarah will collaborate closely with her counterparts across Turner, HBO and Warner Bros. as we prepare for launch later this year and soon build out a new slate of distinctive originals for the service. In addition, Sarah will continue to oversee her existing pipeline of TNT dramas during this transition.
Sarah and I have had a close working relationship since we collaborated on Friday Night Lights at NBC. She was one of my first recruits to join me at Turner, and her stellar evolution of the TNT brand as well as her reputation as a talent-friendly executive with great taste and finesse underscores the values we’ll prioritize on this new platform.
Secondly for Turner, Brett Weitz is being promoted to General Manager of TBS and TNT, reporting to me. In his new role Brett will oversee all scripted, and unscripted programming, as well as manage the networks’ scheduling, marketing and business affairs in close collaboration with Michael Quigley, Michael Engleman and Sandra Dewey.
The reinvigoration of the TBS brand under Brett’s leadership could not have delivered better results. From assembling a top-notch team to fostering relationships with established and emerging creative partners, Brett built TBS into a true force in original comedy with a series of ratings successes and awards.
Brett and I have established a shorthand and deep level of trust over the past four years and David and I are fully confident this level of execution will continue for both TBS and TNT.
Please join me in congratulating both Sarah and Brett!
Thanks,
Kevin
