Pair of Execs Take On Expanded Roles at Animal Planet

SILVER SPRING: Animal Planet has elevated Andy Weissberg to senior VP of programming, while Erin Wanner moves up to VP of production.

Weissberg will manage Animal Planet's programming group, supervising the channel's long-range program planning and the daily content schedule while working across several departments to increase the channel's presence on multiple distribution platforms. He first joined Animal Planet in 2009 as VP of programming and scheduling. He helped make the past three years the network's most-watched ever in both prime and total day across several key demos.

Wanner is now responsible for Animal Planet's production team in New York and Silver Spring. She will collaborate with internal partners and external production companies to maintain the channel's high-quality storytelling and execute its content vision. She will also continue to serve as a key creative voice and exec producer for the network. Wanner joined Animal Planet in 2007 and has been its senior director of production since 2009. Her production credits include Fatal Attractions and Monsters Inside Me, among others.

Both Weissberg and Wanner will continue to report to Rick Holzman, the general manager and executive VP of Animal Planet.

"Animal Planet is hugely fortunate to have two of the industry's brightest creative and strategic talents leading its programming and production departments, and I couldn't be more pleased to have them on my senior management team," said Holzman. "Andy and Erin are great partners and have been essential to our network's huge leap forward throughout the past few years. In these expanded leadership roles, they continue to help chart the course for Animal Planet and ensure our reputation as innovators as the brand continues its evolution."