Chris McCumber has found his landing spot after his exit from NBCUniversal. He will take over Blumhouse TV as president, it was announced Monday.
Last month, Marci Wiseman left Blumhouse TV where she and Jeremy Gold served as co-presidents of the TV division of Jason Blum’s company. Gold will now serve as president of production.
McCumber left NBBUniversal after a long tenure running USA Network and, more recently, Syfy. An individual with knowledge of his decision told TheWrap that NBCU had tried to find a new role for him (NBCU is undergoing a major restructuring that, among many things, no longer has heads of individual networks) but that McCumber was ready for a new challenge.
Blumhouse has a first-look film deal with NBCU’s Universal Pictures.
“As the proliferation of streaming services and buyers is at an all-time high, we see a tremendous opportunity in bringing Chris McCumber on-board to head the company and continue to help us scale our television business,” Blum said. “Jeremy Gold [and former co-president Marci Wiseman] helped take our television business to a whole new level three years ago, when they joined our burgeoning company, and I’m thrilled Jeremy is staying on to help to continue to build the company and oversee our growing slate for the television marketplace, where we have so much going on now, and anticipate having even more.”
Wiseman and Gold were brought in 2016 to spearhead the company’s expansion to the small screen, which has included series like “The Loudest Voice,” “Sharp Objects,” “A Wilderness of Error” and the upcoming “The Good Lord Bird.” Prior to her role at Blumhouse, Wiseman launched AMC Studios whose first series was the mega-hit “The Walking Dead.”
“I have a ton of respect for what Jason and Charles (Layton) have built in Blumhouse, and with the exponential growth in audiences and the insatiable appetite for programming, there hasn’t been a more interesting time to explore new creative avenues,” McCumber said. “The company’s powerful brand and legacy, made joining a compelling choice for me and I’m looking forward to working with the leadership to continue growing the brand and the television portfolio.”
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