Former Meta and MTV Studios executive Mina Lefevre is joining Alex Cooper and Matt Kaplan’s Gen-Z-focused media venture, Trending, as chief content officer of television.
In her new role, Lefevre will be responsible for creative and strategic oversight of the company’s scripted and unscripted content, reporting directly to Kaplan.
Trending’s portfolio includes the Unwell Network, which produces “Call Her Daddy,” “Hot Mess with Alix Earle” and “Pretty Lonesome with Madeline Argy,” and ACE Entertainment, whose credits include the romantic comedy film “Love at First Sight” and Season 1 of the Netflix dramedy series “XO, Kitty.”
“I am thrilled to be joining the incredibly talented team at Trending at such a pivotal time,” Lefevre said in a statement. “Alex Cooper and Matt Kaplan are a bold creative force that understand not only how to create content but also actively shape the cultural conversations for Gen-Z. I am excited about the opportunities ahead to work with today’s leading creators and storytellers.”
Prior to Trending, Lefevre served as Meta Platforms’ head of development and programming, where she oversaw the development and production of original series for Facebook Watch and spearheaded original content that lived across Facebook, Oculus, Messenger and Instagram.
During her time at Meta, Lefevre helped develop “Red Table Talk” with Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith and Adrienne Banfield-Norris; “Red Table Talk: The Estefans” with Gloria Estefan, Emily Estefan and Lili Estefan; two seasons of “Sorry For Your Loss,” starring Elizabeth Olsen, Mamoudou Athie, Kelly Marie Tran and Jovan Adepo; two seasons of the anthology series “Sacred Lies,” starring Elena Kampouris, Kevin Carroll and Toby Huss and “Sacred Lies: The Singing Bones” with Juliette Lewis and Ryan Kwanten.
She also commissioned and developed the podcast adaptation of “Limetown” with Jessica Biel and Stanley Tucci, which made its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2019.
Prior to Facebook, Lefevre served as MTV’s head of scripted. During her tenure, the network doubled its scripted projects, including “Awkward,” “Faking It,” “Scream,” “Finding Carter” and “The Shannara Chronicles,” and brought in high-profile talent such as Ken Jeong, Jon Favreau and Victoria Justice.
Before MTV, Lefevre served as vice president of development & programming at ABC Family – where she founded, developed and oversaw “Pretty Little Liars,” “The Fosters” and “Melissa & Joey.”
“Mina Lefevre has an extraordinary track record in shepherding premium content and prestige television that speaks to the cultural zeitgeist,” Kaplan and Cooper said in a statement. “Having worked with her previously at MTV, Mina will once again bring her wealth of experience, robust relationships with talent and create shows that push the creative boundaries in storytelling.”
