Melanie Frankel has joined USA Network as VP, original
comedy series as the number-one cable network looks to ramp up its development
of scripted half-hours.
She will focus on comedy development and production and
report to Bill McGoldrick, USA's senior VP of original scripted programming.
The network has already greenlit two comedy pilots, an untitled project from
Douglas McGrath starring Nathan Lane and Paging
Dr. Fred.
"As we aggressively expand our scripted portfolio to
include half-hours, this is the perfect time to add an experienced comedy
executive to our team," said McGoldrick. "We feel lucky
to have found someone with Melanie's keen instincts, depth of
experience and collaborative spirit as we create our own distinctive brand of
comedy with the most talented minds in the genre."
Frankel was most recently director of comedy for ABC Studios
where she was the primary executive for overall/script deals with numerous
production companies and oversaw the developing of pilots like ABC Family's Great State of Georgia.
