Banijay Studios North America, a subsidiary of Banijay Group, has named production and development exec Rebecca Mayer to its newly created position of executive vice president of programming and development. There, she will expand the studio’s development and current slate in the U.S., bringing originals to broadcast, cable and streaming, as well as collaborate with the studios independent international producers to create English-language programming.
“I am thrilled to welcome Rebecca to the Banijay family,” said Banijay Studios North America president and CEO David Goldberg, to whom Mayer will report. “Her extensive producing experience, creativity and infectious enthusiasm make her the ideal choice to oversee our development and programming departments. I have no doubt that she will be a great asset to the future of our company.”
Mayer was most recently a development consultant and producer under an overall deal at the Universal Television Alternative Studio for three years, working on NBC’s “Bring the Funny,” musical competition show “Songland” and Dwayne Johnson-hosted sports competition series “The Titan Games.” She has served as showrunner and exec producer on docuseries, reality shows, live and live-to-tape formats both Stateside and in the U.S., including news talk series “TakePart Live,” “Toddlers & Tiaras” and “FABLife.” Mayer started her career in casting and worked extensively in production and development. At Banijay, she will be based in Los Angeles.
Banijay Studios North America originated in 2014 from Goldberg, who founded Endemol USA and whose portfolio includes “Big Brother,” “Deal or No Deal,” “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” “Steve Harvey,” and “Wipeout,” among others. Some of Banijay’s recent productions include “Child Support” with Ricky Gervais, “Temptation Island,” “Wife Swap,” and the upcoming ABC comedy competition series “Don’t,” hosted by Adam Scott and produced in partnership with Ryan Reynolds.