ABC Studios has signed a multi-year overall deal with Ryan Seacrest Productions (RSP) that will have RSP’s scripted division develop projects exclusively for ABC Studios for broadcast, basic and premium cable and on-demand channels.
Nina Wass, president of scripted programming at RSP, extended her deal with RSP, as did executive VP Andrea Shay.
“Under Nina’s leadership, our scripted team has achieved great success. Her creativity, hard work and key talent relationships have helped us achieve an impressive slate, in a short period of time,” said Seacrest. “We’ve all worked with ABC Studios in the past, and we hope our partnership will serve to further our collective success. It’s an honor for us to now call ABC Studios home for our scripted division.”
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Seacrest is again the host of American Idol, which reboots on ABC after a long run on Fox. In May, he joined Kelly Ripa as co-host and fellow executive producer on Disney|ABC show Live With Kelly & Ryan. He is also host and executive producer of Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest on ABC.
Wass spearheaded RSP’s foray into scripted programming in 2012. RSP produces Shades of Blue for NBC, and recently received a series order from Netflix for dark comedy Insatiable. Prior to joining RSP, Wass was senior VP of creative affairs at the Oprah Winfrey Network. Before that, Wass and partner Gene Stein had a deal with Touchstone Television/ABC Studios.
“I’ve worked with [ABC Studios President] Patrick Moran and his team on many shows over the years, and it’s wonderful to be returning to the studio,” said Wass. “I can’t wait to get started on creating new series together again."
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Moran called Wass and RSP “tremendous assets” for the studio. “Her taste, contacts and abilities are the best in the industry, and we’re thrilled to be back in business with her and with Ryan Seacrest Productions,” he said.
Shay joined Ryan Seacrest Productions in 2015 as a senior executive in development and production for the scripted team. Prior to joining RSP, she was head of comedy development at The Mark Gordon Company.
