A week after being appointed head of unscripted for MTV and VH1, Nina Diaz designated key executives for roles on her team.
Eli Lehrer was named head of development for MTV. Lily Neumeyer will be head of development for VH1. Paul Ricci was tapped as head of alternative programming for MTV and VH1. Finally Andy Portnoy was given the title head of strategic content operations for MTV and VH1.
The moves come as parent company Viacom looks to boost ratings at MTV, which has been struggling to attract young viewers. MTV's president, Sean Atkins, was replaced by Chris McCarthy, who continues to run VH1 and Logo. Diaz worked with McCarthy at VH1.
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“MTV and VH1 share the same creative DNA and this team deepens the connection between them,” said Diaz. “Eli, Lily, Paul and Andy are at the top of their respective games, and I’m excited to work alongside them, share expertise and ideas, and strengthen these two iconic brands.”
Lehrer continues as executive VP and head of creative and business operations at MTV2. Before joining Viacom, Lehrer was senior VP and head of non-fiction programing at Lifetime.
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Neumeyer was already head of develop for VH1. Previously she was with A&E, where she was VP of nonfiction and alternative programming.
Ricci is adding MTV to his portfolio. Earlier, he’d worked at MTV and had been head of development for MTV2.
Portnoy had been senior VP of production for MTV and MTV2. Earlier he helped Viacom launch Spike TV and worked at Nickelodeon.
