Metan Names Programming VP

LOS ANGELES: Barbara Wellner has been named VP of programming for Metan Development Group.

Wellner was part of the team that developed and launched FX. As senior producer, she was involved in the development and production of live, original programming. She went on to become VP of programming at Twentieth Television, in charge of developing talent and original programming for network, syndication and cable. She served as the West Coast programming consultant for Bravo and Independent Film Channel, and most recently, she was co-executive producer on the weekly comedy series Reality Binge for the Fox Reality Channel.

At Metan, based at the company’s Los Angeles headquarters, Wellner will oversee the weekly international entertainment news series THRtv. In addition to being responsible for all current programming, she is tasked with supervision of all content for Metan, including TV, web and mobile and acquired programming, development and implementation of programming strategies for worldwide distribution, as well as new series and pilot development. Her responsibilities further include cultivating new show talent, customizing format acquisitions and supervising the programming team.

“I’m thrilled to have Barbara join Metan’s production team,” said Larry Namer, a Metan founding partner and president and CEO. “Barbara is a true professional and has worked on the creation and development of some of the top entertainment, reality and lifestyle series in recent TV history, as well as discovered and developed some of the most recognizable personalities in entertainment today.”

“I look forward to working closely with VP of production Rick Portin as we take Metan’s production activities to new heights of success,” added Wellner. “I’m excited about the prospect to produce new content for multiple platforms in such exciting global TV territories as China, Eastern Europe and Latin America, as well as to customize Chinese content for Western tastes.”