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Warner Bros. TV Group Restructures; WBTV, Warner Horizon Scripted TV to Merge

Amid the greater restructuring happening at AT&T-owned WarnerMedia, Warner Bros. Television Group is realigning its scripted and unscripted TV production operations, merging Warner Bros. Television and Warner Horizon Scripted TV to create a new division. As part of the restructuring, the role of exec VP and general manager of Telepictures is being phased out. Donna Redier Linsk, who had occupied that position, is departing, a source close to the situation tells Variety.

The scripted units will be led by WBTV presidents Susan Rovner and Brett Paul, while Warner Bros. unscripted and alternative TV president Mike Darnell will continue to lead unscripted as president of Warner Bros. Unscripted and Alternative Television.

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Rovner and Paul will continue to lead the newly combined WBTV together, overseeing all scripted programming and reporting to WBTVG chairman Peter Roth; Rovner and Paul had previously headed both WBTV and and Warner Horizon.

Clancy Collins White, most recently exec VP of drama development at WBTV, has been promoted to a newly created position overseeing all day-to-day scripted program development for the new WBTV division, reporting to Rovner.

Leigh London Redman, most recently exec VP of scripted programming at Warner Horizon TV, will lead drama development and oversee the newly combined drama team. Adrienne Turner will continue to run comedy development and oversee the comedy team as senior VP and head of comedy development at WBTV. Odetta Watkins and Maddy Horne will continue on in their roles as exec vps of current programming in the premium cable and network series departments, respectively, managing all creative aspects of the studio’s scripted series.

Exec VP of business affairs Adam Glick, exec VP of production Sue Palladino, and executive VP of legal affairs Jody Zucker will continue in their current roles and oversee the newly combined teams at WBTV.

On the unscripted side, Brooke Karzen will continue to run development and programming for Warner Horizon Unscripted and Alternative TV, David McGuire will continue to lead current programming and additionally oversee development at Telepictures. Lisa Shannon and Dan Peirson will continue to jointly run development and programming at Shed Media.

Kevin Fortson, most recently exec VP of production at Warner Horizon, and Matt Matzkin, most recently exec VP of business affairs at the company, will now take on new leadership roles across all unscripted, reporting to Darnell. Fortson is slated to oversee physical production, while Matzkin will oversee business affairs across Warner Horizon Unscripted TV, Telepictures and Shed Media.

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