Andreae builds Fox unscripted team

Simon Andreae has added two senior executives to his team at US network Fox after taking over as head of alternative programming at the end of last year.

Lisa Levenson has been named senior VP and Alex Piper has been appointed VP in the alternative entertainment department.

Levenson joins from Cineflix Productions where she was executive VP of development. In that role she oversaw the opening of the company’s LA office and was responsible for development and production. She has executive produced unscripted series including 14 seasons of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette for ABC.

Levenson had originally survived a restructure in Cineflix’s US and UK operations back in July and was set to continue developing unscripted series for the production and distribution outfit from LA before taking this new role.

Piper was previously senior VP of alternative television at Asylum Entertainment, developing, launching and overseeing the company’s non-fiction slate. He has executive produced Being Mike Tyson for Fox Sports and Addicted for TLC, among other shows.

Levenson and Piper will lead the day-to-day management of the network’s returning unscripted programming and specials and play key roles in developing the pipeline of new unscripted content.

In addition, Amy Cohen has also been promoted from manager to executive director of alternative entertainment. She has been with Fox’s unscripted team since 2005 and helped oversee ratings hits including American Idol, Hell’s Kitchen and The X Factor.

All three will report to Andreae, the British producer and executive who took over as Fox’s executive VP of alternative programming in October.

The appointment of Andreae, previously Discovery Channel’s West coast senior VP of development and production, ended a lengthy search to replace reality pioneer Mike Darnell who left Fox in June last year after 18 years with the network, during which time he brought Idol and X Factor to its schedules.

Darnell has since resurfaced as president of unscripted and alternative television at Warner Bros Television Group.

Andreae, who reports to Fox chairman of entertainment Kevin Reilly, said: “Lisa and Alex come to us with strong backgrounds, both as showrunners and as senior production company executives. As such, each is perfectly equipped not only to support our current unscripted slate, but also to help shape the next generation of hit Fox shows.”