New Appointments for NBC’s Alternative and Reality Group

Electus veteran John Pollak joining NBC Entertainment’s alternative and reality group is among several new appointments at the division led by Meredith Ahr.

Pollak, formerly president of Electus Television, joins NBC Entertainment as executive VP of commercial development in the alternative and reality Group. He is tasked with overseeing domestic commercial dealings for NBC Entertainment’s unscripted programming, including sales strategy and creative partnerships with buyers beyond the NBC network, the packaging of talent and brands to formats, and the rollout of owned-and-controlled properties on behalf of NBCUniversal Television Distribution.

Jenny Groom has been promoted to EVP for NBC, leading alternative programming and development at the network. Enrique Gillen has been upped to EVP of commercial strategy and international development at Universal Television Alternative Studio. George Sealey, as executive VP of creative affairs at Universal Television Alternative Studio, will oversee creative development, production and post-production.

“Jenny, Enrique and George have all helped to build this business and are major reasons for our current success at both the network and studio,” said Ahr. “They are some of the most experienced executives in the unscripted genre and our longstanding collaborative relationship will continue to yield phenomenal results as they take on these elevated roles. Jenny’s deep understanding of the NBC brand, coupled with her ability to cultivate talent and their ideas, enables her to harness the incredible power of the network’s marketing and programming platform to benefit any show, from any studio, that is a fit for NBC. On the Universal Television Alternative Studio side, we believe the future will be built on partnerships and deep collaboration. George and Enrique have helped guide this vision with best-in-class creative execution of our formats and steady growth with like-minded partners around the world. The arrival of a world-class executive such as John, who has a stellar reputation for innovative and creative dealmaking, sets us up for success in our ambitious plans to grow our business domestically as well.”