Endemol Shine North America Bolsters Unscripted Leadership

Endemol Shine North America has brought in veteran showrunner and development executive DJ Nurre as executive VP of unscripted original series, in addition to several other appointments.

Nurre most recently served as executive VP of programming and development at 3 Ball Entertainment. He will now oversee all unscripted current programming, as well as all pilots and presentations.

Dan Cazzola has been named VP of international development for unscripted, while Lisa Fahrenholt has been appointed VP of international development for scripted. Fahrenholt, who has served as director for North American acquisitions for Endemol Shine International (ESI), will continue to also oversee finished program acquisitions and co-financing opportunities for ESI.

Georgie Hurford-Jones, who serves as senior VP of unscripted programming, continues to executive produce current programming and now heads up all of Endemol Shine North America’s MasterChef franchise initiatives. Robin Feinberg, who is also senior VP of unscripted programming, will oversee the company’s Fear Factor franchise and additional series.

Sharon Levy, president of unscripted and scripted television at Endemol Shine North America, said: “DJ is one of the most respected and accomplished producers in unscripted TV. I’ve worked closely with him over the last decade on numerous series including Bar Rescue and he’s always shown great instincts and leadership skills. I’m thrilled he’s joining our team here at Endemol Shine.”

Levy added, “After getting to know my new Endemol Shine colleagues from around the globe and seeing all of the diverse, amazing content this company produces, it was clear that we needed experienced executives on our team here in North America identifying both unscripted and scripted opportunities. Dan and Lisa are just that, both have worked for our company internationally and have great programming instincts.”

“I am honored to be working alongside my longtime friend and periodic creative sparring partner Sharon Levy,” said Nurre. “I’m immensely proud of the shows we’ve made together over the last 10 years and look forward to continuing that success with her and the incredibly talented team here at Endemol Shine.”