CBS News launches See It Now Studios, a new content provider of news

CBS News is launching See It Now Studios, a new content provider that will produce news, documentary and unscripted programming for Paramount+, CBS, the ViacomCBS family of networks, international broadcasters and other content platforms. Award-winning journalist and former CBS News President Susan Zirinsky has been named President of See It Now Studios and will report directly to George Cheeks, President and CEO of CBS and Chief Content Officer, News and Sports for Paramount+.

“This is a studio built on the foundation of the incredible journalism and storytelling of CBS News but with a broader remit. See It Now Studios will have the flexibility to work across a range of production formats and concepts to meet the growing needs of linear and streaming platforms, including producing premium documentary content for Paramount+. There is no one better to lead this new unit than the journalistic and producing force of nature that is Susan Zirinsky. She and her team have already hit the ground running,”  Cheeks commented.

See It Now Studios will develop original documentaries and docuseries, and will be an in-house pipeline for Paramount+, CBS and ViacomCBS networks. The unit will also produce for third-party platforms and partner on projects with outside production companies. See It Now Studios’ productions will be distributed globally by the ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group.

The studio will also create spinoffs of CBS News brands, building on the reporting and resources of CBS News, and produce “insta-docs” in the wake of monumental current events in collaboration with Neeraj Khemlani and Wendy McMahon, Presidents and Co-Heads of CBS News and Stations. 

“See It Now Studios will deliver premium, impactful non-fiction series and unscripted programming. We’ve got a slate of powerful projects that use immersive storytelling to illuminate people and places that rarely grant access. These are strong, story-driven projects, with engaging narratives and compelling characters that will keep viewers watching. All told through with the high-quality standards set by CBS News,”  Zirinsky said.

Joining Zirinsky in See It Now Studios are Senior Executive Producer of Content Oversight Terence Wrong, an experienced, award-winning storyteller who has produced more than 200 hours of documentaries and docuseries for broadcast, premium and cable; and Aysu Saliba as Supervising Producer, Development. Grace Kim is the unit’s production manager, and Amy Gardner is an associate producer. Zirinsky will also draw on the strength of executive producer Mitch Weitzner and his established team of Sasha Reuther and Danielle Levy.

See It Now Studios has a full slate of productions set for 2021 and beyond, with the first documentaries focusing on the 20th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Productions on the slate include “The 26th Street Garage: The FBI’s Untold Story of 9/11,” “Race Against Time: The CIA and 9/11,” “Ghislaine,” and “Unsealed: The Insurrection – Where did it Begin?”.