Discovery Channel Hires Pair for Scripted, Docs & Specials

LOS ANGELES: Discovery Channel has brought on John Goldwyn, who recently served as executive producer on Gracepoint, to expand its scripted division, and has tapped John Hoffman as executive VP of documentaries and specials.

Goldwyn will serve as an executive producer for scripted programming, working closely with Rich Ross, who took over as president of Discovery Channel this month. The grandson of the legendary Hollywood producer Samuel Goldwyn, he also worked on the producing team of the hit cable series Dexter, in addition to a slew of feature-film credits.


“John is a true visionary and over his nearly 30-year career has demonstrated a proven ability to connect with a diverse range of audiences spanning both across film and television,” Ross said. “He is the perfect creative voice to join a network with such a global reach and important mission.”

Hoffman joins the senior leadership team at Discovery's flagship network. Most recently Hoffman served as CEO of The Public Good Projects, a non-profit production company he founded in 2013 to provide innovative media that makes complex health problems easier to understand so people can take better care of themselves and their families. Earlier, Hoffman was a part of HBO Documentary Films for 17 years. Hoffman will be responsible and have oversight for all development activities in the alternative and specials area. He will produce original documentary programming from development through production, commission and acquire films and specials and be responsible for developing cross-platform programming.

“Documentaries remain an integral part of what we do and who we are at Discovery,” said Ross. “Given our legacy, our documentary filmmaking must be valued and protected. John is one of the best in our business, and his filmmaking experience, coupled with his ability to bring together unprecedented partnerships, will keep Discovery moving forward as leaders in groundbreaking and award-winning documentary films.”