Nat Geo Opens New West Coast Office

WASHINGTON, D.C.: National Geographic Channels (NGC) has opened a new West Coast development office, to be led on an interim basis by David Lyle, as well as promoted Bridget Whalen Hunnicutt to senior VP of global development.

Lyle most recently served as president of Fox LOOK, which specialized in the international licensing and production of unscripted programming. Prior to Fox LOOK, he was president of Fox Reality Channel and also served in senior executive positions at companies such as FremantleMedia, Pearson Television and Australia’s Nine Network.

In her new role, Hunnicutt will be responsible for developing more than 400 hours of original programming per year. Having joined NGC in 2004, she has overseen a number of series, including Alaska State Troopers, which is the highest-rated returning series in NGC history. Prior to NGC, Hunnicutt was director of development at Michael Hoff Productions.

In addition, Charlie Parsons has been named VP of global development, where he will be responsible for developing new projects, discovering new talent and serving as one of NGC’s points of contact for the global production community. Parsons was recently the senior director of content at Travel Channel Media, developing more than 200 hours of programming and executive producing successful series, including Man v. Food, Ghost Adventures and Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations.

Meanwhile, Michael Mavretic and Shannon Malone have been promoted to directors of global development. Mavretic will take on the task of sourcing, creating and developing programming idea in the global nonfiction television market. In her new role, Malone will oversee the development of original programming and relationships with international and domestic production companies.

Steve Schiffman, the president of National Geographic Channels in the U.S., commented: “Our very talented development team is a force within the nonfiction arena and already has highly productive relationships with top producers around the world as well as the West Coast. Now with the help of Mr. Lyle and our new L.A. office, we will be able to expand our pipeline into the epicenter of the entertainment industry to further merge their capabilities with the trust and qualities of our amazing brand.”