LOS ANGELES, MARCH 25, 2019 –TBS and TNT, a division of WarnerMedia Entertainment, today announced a key new hire: Former Facebook Watch and MTV executive Kristina Edwards takes the role of vice president of unscripted series TBS and TNT. Based in Los Angeles, Edwards reports into Michael Bloom, senior vice president of unscripted series and live programming for TBS and TNT and will work alongside Jenny Ramirez, vice president of unscripted, and Michelle Byars, director of unscripted.
Edwards hire comes on the heels of the successful relaunch of nonfiction programming for both networks, including James Corden’s Drop the Mic and Snoop Dogg Presents The Joker’s Wild. Both highly successful series debuted as the #2 and #3 new cable comedies in 2017 and continue to rank among the top 40 cable comedy series. The upcoming, live event series, Chasing the Cure anchored by award-winning journalist Ann Curry, further expands the networks’ slate of breakthrough, audience-driven programming. As a first-of-its-kind initiative, the groundbreaking enterprise taps into the worldwide phenomenon of medial crowdsourcing via television and multi-platform experiences in service of patients everywhere.
“Kristina has distinguished herself with a successful track record of uncompromisingly bold and innovative series in addition to having an eye for creative talent,” said Bloom. “Not only is she driven by her passion for creative ideas, but she also understands how to evolve the content experience according to the needs of brands and audiences alike, which is also inherent in the way we create our shows,” Bloom added. “I’ve known Kristina for years, love her energy and experience. We are really excited to welcome her to our team.”
Edwards joins TBS and TNT from Facebook Watch where working in unscripted development, she was responsible for creative oversight and managing non-scripted projects for the platform. Edwards also helped shepherd to series premium titles such as Will Smith’s BucketList (Facebook Watch’s biggest launch to date), Kelly Ripa and Rachel Harris’ Head and Faces and 365 Days of Love with Sofia Vergara. She also assisted on developing The Real World reboot, both domestic and international versions.
Prior to Facebook Watch, Edwards served as a development consultant for Fuse, where she worked on unscripted and scripted development and was recognized for helping to modernize programming. Edwards previously served as vice president of programing and development at MTV Networks from 2010-2017, where she was instrumental in rebranding the network as a millennial destination, while leading the development and oversight of a wide variety of impactful series. While at MTV, Edwards led more than 100 hours of current programming across various unscripted content formats, while supervising the network’s full pipeline of development and current unscripted series including Ridiculousness, America’s Best Dance Crew, Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory and Wonderland LIVE.
