Toby Gorman has been named president of Universal Television Alternative Studio.
In his new role, Gorman will report to Meredith Ahr, who was the last to hold the position prior to her promotion last year to president of NBC Entertainment’s Alternative and Reality Group.
Gorman will oversee the studio’s operations, including development, domestic sales strategy and creative affairs across its slate of unscripted programming. He will also shape production partnerships to build on the studio’s current off-network slate including “In Search of” (History), “The Biggest Loser” (USA) and “Blind Date (Bravo),” as well as other projects in various stages of development and production.
“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 continue 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.”
Gorman most recently served as interim CEO of Magical Elves while maintaining his role as president of entertainment at A. Smith & Co Productions. The permanent CEO position was given to Casey Kriley and Jo Sharon Thursday. Through Gorman’s time at A. Smith and Magical Elves, he acted as executive producer on National Geographic’s “Brain Games” reboot, Fox’s competition series “Mental Samurai,” and NBC’s “The Titan Games.” Gorman also served as executive producer on the Netflix series “Death by Magic.” Prior to that, he was executive vice president of alternative programming at FremantleMedia North America.
12 Actors Who Have Played Charles Manson in Movies and TV (Photos)
No other mass criminal or cult figure in American history has garnered as much fascination within Hollywood and popular culture as Charles Manson (though Ted Bundy is coming close). He and his "family" have been the subject of movies, parodies, and he even landed a Rolling Stone cover. "American Horror Story: Cult" had an actor portraying Manson, and Quentin Tarantino is digging up the past for his "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" featuring the Manson Family murders. Here is a sampling of actors who have dared to play the notorious figure.
Steve Railsback - "Helter Skelter" (1976)
The memory of Manson was still fresh when this TV special based on Vincent Bugliosi's book aired. CBS even made it a two-night special.
CBS
Michael Reid MacKay - "Summer Dreams: The Story of the Beach Boys" (1990)
This TV special about the career of the Beach Boys explored Manson's relationship with founding member Dennis Wilson.
ABC
Marcelo Games - "The Manson Family" (1997)
Officially released in the U.S. in 2004, this dramatization of the Manson Family murders in director Jim Van Bebber's film is seen all through the lens of Super 8 home movies.
Dinsdale Releasing
Trey Parker - "South Park" (1998)
Way back in Season 2 of "South Park," Trey Parker had some fun with Manson by having the kids teach him the true meaning of Christmas after he escapes from prison.
Comedy Central
Jeremy Davies - "Helter Skelter" (2004)
This CBS update of their classic "Helter Skelter" shifted more of the focus away from Bugliosi and onto Manson and "family" member Linda Kasabian, with Jeremy Davies playing the cult leader.
CBS
Ryan Kiser - "House of Manson" (2014)
Kiser actually had the "honor" of portraying Manson twice, once in 2009's "Lie" and again in 2014 for "House of Manson." The latter film goes further back into Manson's life leading up to the murder of Sharon Tate and resembles Charles "Tex" Watson's account of events most closely.
Gravitas Ventures
Taran Killam - "Saturday Night Live" (2014)
Remember when news came out that Manson had found love in prison with 26-year-old Star Burton? Who couldn't fall for his beard and "winning smile." And he's only in for income tax fraud!
NBC
Gethin Anthony - "Aquarius" (2015)
The short-lived NBC drama "Aquarius" was set in 1967 and followed two detectives searching for a missing girl who ended up being a Manson recruit.
NBC
Jeff Ward - "Manson's Lost Girls" (2016)
Even Lifetime got into the Manson Family story. One of the network's original movies focused on Linda Kasabian and several of the other female members of the family caught up in Manson's spell.
Lifetime
Evan Peters - "American Horror Story" (2017)
In "American Horror Story: Cult" Evan Peters plays a politician who becomes obsessed and inspired by Manson and is eventually possessed by him.
FX
Matt Smith - "Charlie Says" (2019)
"Charlie Says" is set years after the Manson Family murders and focuses on the psychological rehabilitation of Leslie Van Houten, Patricia Krenwinkel and Susan Atkins. "Doctor Who" actor Matt Smith portrays Manson in flashbacks to examine the mental spell he cast on the many women who killed for him.
IFC Films
Damon Herriman - "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" AND "Mindhunter" (2019)
Damon Herriman makes only a brief appearance in Quentin Tarantino's ninth film -- but the Manson Family and victims like Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) figure prominently in the plot set around the time of the 1969 murders. And the actor was also cast as the cult leader in the second season of David Fincher's Netflix series "Mindhunter" -- where he has a more extensive scene in a prison meeting with an FBI investigator.
Sony Pictures
1 of 13
From Steve Railsback in “Helter Skelter” to Damon Herriman in “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood” and “Mindhunter”
No other mass criminal or cult figure in American history has garnered as much fascination within Hollywood and popular culture as Charles Manson (though Ted Bundy is coming close). He and his "family" have been the subject of movies, parodies, and he even landed a Rolling Stone cover. "American Horror Story: Cult" had an actor portraying Manson, and Quentin Tarantino is digging up the past for his "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" featuring the Manson Family murders. Here is a sampling of actors who have dared to play the notorious figure.
CBS
