TBS & TNT Unscripted Exec Departs for Producing Deal

Michael Bloom, the senior VP of unscripted and specials at TBS and TNT, is departing the networks to start his own production studio, Bongo Pictures, in conjunction with WarnerMedia Entertainment.

The Los Angeles-based studio will build a pipeline of content, with WarnerMedia Entertainment having a first look at future series.

Bloom successfully led the recent relaunch of nonfiction programming for TNT and TBS. He has launched a collection of unscripted series that includes James Corden’s Drop the Mic, Snoop Dogg Presents The Joker’s Wild and Chasing the Cure with Ann Curry, as well as the upcoming series The Misery Index starring The Impractical Jokers and Jameela Jamil, and Shaquille O’Neal’s Shaq Life.

“Michael is one of the true industry pros in the non-fiction space and has been pivotal in reshaping our unscripted business,” said Kevin Reilly, chief content officer for HBO Max and president of TNT, TBS and truTV. “Thankfully he will continue to be a part of our next major unscripted push through this new venture.”

“It’s an exhilarating time to be a producer with all these new frontiers and old rules thrown out the window. I’m inspired to get back to my producing roots and do what I love the most,” said Bloom. “The support Kevin Reilly, Brett Weitz and Sandra Dewey have shown me for this new venture has blown me away. WarnerMedia has been a wildly creative place to work, and with Bongo, I hope to create distinct and significant content that evokes the same feeling as when you hear those drums—that something awesome is about to happen.”