Universal TV names alt studio president

NBCUniversal (NBCU) subsidiary Universal Television Alternative Studio has named a former FremantleMedia North America exec as its new president.

Toby Gorman

Toby Gorman is replacing Meredith Ahr, who was promoted to president of NBC Entertainment’s alternative and reality group late last year. Reporting to Ahr, Gorman will be responsible for development, domestic sales strategy and creative affairs.

For most of this year, Gorman has been interim CEO of Tinopolis-owned prodco Magical Elves (Top Chef, Project Runway). He has also served as president of producer A Smith and Co. (The Titan Games, Brain Games).

He previously worked as executive VP of alternative programming at FremantleMedia North America, where he developed To Tell the Truth and Match Game for ABC.

NBCU launched Universal Television Alternative Studio in 2016. It has produced shows such as In Search Of (History), The Biggest Loser (USA) and Blind Date (Bravo).

“We have an incredibly ambitious growth plan for Universal Television Alternative Studio and Toby is exactly who we want at the helm during this defining time,” Ahr said. “I have witnessed him in many roles over the years, and time and again he has proven to be a precise developer, a creative producer and a sharp executive.

“As the breadth of our content and our partnerships throughout the industry continues to expand, Toby’s deep expertise, coupled with the equally important fact that he is one of the most respected executives in the field, make him the perfect fit to lead the studio into its next chapter.”

British-born Gorman has extensive producing experience in both the US and the UK. Stateside, he executive produced NBC’s upcoming physical competition The Titan Games with Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, Fox’s Mental Samurai and Netflix’s Death by Magic.

In the UK, he was series producer and showrunner on ITV duo All Stars Family Fortunes and Grease is the Word. He also served as showrunner for Britain’s Missing Top Model (BBC3) and The Smiths: Hotels for Two (Discovery International), as well as series editor and showrunner for The Race (Sky1) and producer of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! and Hell’s Kitchen (both ITV).