Warner Bros. Discovery has ousted HGTV and Food Network’s president of home and food content Jane Latman and Discovery and Turner Networks content executive Nancy Daniels as part of its ongoing restructuring, TheWrap has confirmed.
The shakeup was announced in a memo by Kathleen Finch, the chairman and chief content officer of the entertainment giant’s U.S. Networks Group. She said the move would “ultimately enable our business to run more effectively and collaboratively across all the brands and business functions while maintaining our robust culture of content creation and powerful storytelling.”
Moving forward, Latman’s creative oversight will be handed over to Food Network content executive Betsy Sanner Ayala and HGTV content executive Loren Ruch, while TLC and Travel Channel content executive Howard Lee and ID and HLN crime content executive Jason Sarlanis will take over content oversight for D-Nets and TNT/TBS/Tru, respectively.
Under Latman’s leadership, HGTV has delivered buzzworthy tentpole series and an expanded roster of franchises and fan favorites like “Home Town Takeover,” “Celebrity IOU” and “Rock the Block,” as well as a host of freshman hits such as “Ugliest House in America,” “Married to Real Estate” and Food Network’s “Bobby’s Triple Threat.” She also had oversight of discovery+ originals such as “Trixie Motel” and “Kendra Sells Hollywood.”
Meanwhile, Daniels, a 15-year veteran, initially oversaw programming for TLC, including the successful launch and expansion of the “90 Day Fiance” franchise. Since 2018, she served as Chief Brand Officer for Discovery & Factual and, most recently, has been the Content Leader for T-Nets, Discovery, Animal Planet and Science Channel.
In addition to shepherding series such as “Gold Rush,” “Street Outlaws,” and the Emmy-winning “Deadliest Catch,” Daniels spearheaded the launch of top discovery+ originals including “Naked & Afraid of Love” and “Love Off the Grid.” She also drove the growth and success of popular event programming like “Puppy Bowl” and “Shark Week.”
In addition to Latman and Daniels, Travel Channel executive Matt Butler and Discovery and Turner Networks executive Scott Lewers are also exiting.
Butler helped develop and grow “Ghost Adventures” into one of the of the most successful series on Travel Channel and discovery+. Prior to his role at Travel Channel, Butler contributed to the success of other Discovery networks, including Destination America and AHC.
Lewers, who has overseen franchise series expansions and tentpole programming at the D-Nets/T-Nets, has been responsible for momentous television events at Discovery including “Space Launch Live,” “Skywire Live with Nik Wallenda” and “Space Jump LIVE.”
“While it is undoubtedly difficult to say goodbye to long-time colleagues and friends, the reorganization we are undertaking will ultimately enable our content teams to share resources, work more collaboratively across brands and genres, and maximize our ability to innovate and create during this dynamic time for our industry,” Finch wrote. “We intend to work quickly to put the new structure in place and to sync these groups effectively, so we ask for your continued patience as we make sure we’re doing things in a thoughtful way.”