Entertainment One announced its decision to appoint former HBO President of Programming, Michael Lombardo to head its international TV division. Hasbro acquired Eone in 2019 in a USD 3.8 billion deal, driven by the toy company’s hopes to gain rights to Eone kids' series like Peppa Pig and PJ Masks. "We couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome Michael to the Eone team. His incredibly impressive history of success during his long tenure at HBO resulted in some of the most ground-breaking, iconic television series over the past two decades," said Steve Bertram, President of Film and Television at Eone.
Lombardo will be responsible for leading Eone's TV strategy and overseeing the development and production of all scripted and unscripted programming, including adaptations of IP from parent company, Hasbro. He was selected for a similar position as the former head of TV Mark Gordon, who stepped down in July last year to return to producing.Eone has become the entertainment arm of Hasbro and Lombardo will be responsible for creating content from its brands such as Dungeons & Dragons, Power Rangers, and Transformers. “A true champion of creative excellence, Michael is the ideal leader to guide our television strategy at a time where audiences are demanding content of the highest quality," Bertram said.
He initially started working at Eone as a consultant overseeing development across all genres. He served as President, Programming, at HBO for 12 years where he was responsible for overseeing all of HBO’s and Cinemax’s programming initiatives including HBO Films, HBO Sports, HBO Documentaries & Family, and HBO Entertainment. Lombardo stepped down at HBO in 2016 following a 33-year stint at the premium cabler, had been programming president for almost a decade with a tenure that yielded hits including Game Of Thrones, True Blood, and Girls for HBO.
Lombardo resigned to take on a producer deal in 2016, with Casey Bloys taking on his HBO remit, before joining Peter Berg’s Film 44. “Throughout my career, I have been driven by a passion for great stories. I’m excited to join Eone where we have some of the most beloved brands in the world to inspire our work, in addition to an outstanding talent-rich pipeline built by a team that I very much look forward to leading,” said Lombardo.
A true champion of creative excellence, Michael is the ideal leader to guide our television strategy at a time where audiences are demanding content of the highest quality.” Steve Bertram President, Film and Television, Eone
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