Fremantle’s Original CEO to exit

The CEO of FremantleMedia North America (FMNA)’s Original Productions is leaving the company, with Ernie Avila and Sarah Whalen set to take charge in the interim.

Philip Segal

Philip Segal will leave the prodco, which FMNA bought in 2009, when his deal expires in the coming months, with his next move not yet known.

Avila, Original’s chief operating officer and exec VP of business affairs, and Whalen, exec VP of development and programming, will take temporary charge and report to Jennifer Mullin, FMNA’s co-CEO.

Segal is known for his work on Deadliest Catch and Storage Wars at Original, which he joined in 2005 as president. He took the helm after Original founder Thom Beers became CEO of FMNA in 2012. Beers left FMNA in 2015.

Mullin described Segal as “an incredibly respected member of our team” and credited him with “successfully managing key long-running and award-winning franchises including Deadliest Catch, Ice Road Truckers, Bering Sea Gold, Storage Wars and Jay Leno’s Garage.”

She added: “We wish Philip all the best in his new endeavours and we look forward to Ernie and Sarah lending their expertise across the business during this transition.”