New A&E chief Rob Sharenow has reached to a sister service in naming a head of programming.
Elaine Frontain Bryant, who has been working at History as senior vice president, development and programming, was named A&E's executive vice president and head of programming. The new job marks a return to A&E, where she served as senior vice president non-fiction and alternative programming from 2005-13.
To fill Bryant’s role, Dirk Hoogstra, executive vice president and general manager of History and H2, has elevated Paul Cabana, who already runs programming for H2. Cabana will now lead both services' content initiatives as executive vice president and head of programming for History and H2.
Cabana reports to Hoogstra, while Frontain Bryant now reports to Sharenow, who also runs Lifetime.
“Elaine and Paul are visionary creative executives who over the past few years have been vital to the success of A+E Networks,” said Sharenow and Hoogstra in announcing the new programming structure. “They’re both exceptional leaders with strong ties to the creative community who will be developing the next generation of brand-defining hits across multiple platforms for A&E, History and H2.”
While at A&E, Frontain Bryant was responsible for overseeing such hits as Duck Dynasty, Storage Wars and Shipping Wars. During her tenure at History she worked on The Curse of Oak Island, Gangland Undercover; and the development of scripted fair, including Texas Rising and Sons of Liberty.
Under Cabana's leadership since 2012, H2 has featured such series as America Unearthed, Brad Meltzer’s Lost History and America’s Book of Secrets.
