WARNERMEDIA HIRES A NEW HEAD OF UNSCRIPTED PRODUCTION IN EMEA

WarnerMedia has hired Dutch television executive Annelies Sitvast to the newly created role of Head of Unscripted Production in EMEA. In this position, the former Head of Talpa Network’s Net 5 will commission unscripted programming for streaming service HBO Max as it rolls out in the region.

Sitvast will take on her role in May and will be based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. She will report to Antony Root, Head of Original Production at WarnerMedia EMEA. “I could not be more excited to build, launch and grow a European unscripted content offering for HBO Max. WarnerMedia has a rich history of investing in local talent and programming and has been building beloved and iconic brands for near to a century. I could think of no better foundation on which to build an unscripted programming pipeline as the company looks to expand HBO Max’s offering,”  she commented.

Commenting on the appointment, Root said: “Annelies brings a wealth of experience from the world of unscripted programming. Working with our local teams, she will steer our expansion into unscripted across Europe, which is a key part of our original production strategy as we launch HBO Max across the region”.

WarnerMedia already operates HBO streaming platforms and linear channels in 21 countries across the Nordics, Iberia and Central and Eastern Europe, for which it has commissioned original programming for more than a decade.