Gary Levine and Jana Winograde have been named co-presidents of entertainment at Showtime Networks, the company announced Thursday.
The pair will develop and supervise all Showtime programming, including comedy, drama, unscripted, documentaries and film, overseeing production, program operations, business affairs, casting, scheduling, research and home entertainment. They will also be liaisons to CBS’ international and domestic distribution groups. Additionally, Winograde will become a board member of Smithsonian Networks, also a division of CBS Corp.
The move comes shortly after David Nevins’ elevation in October to chief creative officer of CBS Corporation and chairman of Showtime, adding to his existing position as CEO of the premiere cable network.
“Gary and Jana are peerless in their roles. Both command great respect from their colleagues inside and outside the company, and they have been key in driving our growth,” said Nevins in a statement. “As we invest more deeply in creating world class content for our audiences, this new structure positions us strongly for the future of our business.”
Levine started at Showtime in 2001 as head of original programming. Series developed during his tenure include “Escape at Dannemora,” “Who Is America?”, “Billions,” “Shameless,” “Dexter” and more.
Winograde has been with the company since 2017, overseeing business operations on the West Coast and developing new business models and content monetization strategy.
As part of the leadership shuffle, Amy Israel has been appointed executive vice president of scripted programming at Showtime, and will oversee the development and creative oversight of its original scripted series. First joining as senior vice president of original programming in 2011, she steered the development of “Billions,” “SMILF,” “The Affair,” “Masters of Sex” and the upcoming “Black Monday,” among others.
Additionally, Vinnie Malhotra has been named executive vice president of nonfiction programming at the network, expanding his role in development and production of original unscripted programming, documentary programming, and documentary theatrical releases. He first joined the company in 2015 as senior vice president of documentaries, unscripted and sports programming, developing “The Fourth Estate,” “Shut Up and Dribble,” “the Putin Interviews” and more.
Nevins calls Israel and Malhotra “the major forces behind the exceptional scripted and nonfiction programming that have shaped what Showtime is today.”
Both Israel and Malhotra will report to Levine and Winograde.
The leadership shuffle comes against the backdrop of Leslie Moonves’ recent ouster as head of CBS following allegations of sexual misconduct, leaving a hole in content development. Nevins now has expanded oversight of content, leaving president and acting CEO of CBS Joe Ianniello to steer the conglomerate’s business and financial strategy.
