Hasbro Entertainment has launched an unscripted television division, which will be led by newly hired development executive and producer Zach Edwin. Edwin joins Hasbro after most recently working for the Intellectual Property Corporation, a part of Sony Pictures Television — Nonfiction.
The unscripted division already has multiple projects in production as well as others in development at various networks. Among the titles underway are game show adaptations of “Trivial Pursuit” hosted by LeVar Burton and “Scrabble” hosted by Raven-Symoné. Both programs were developed in partnership with Lionsgate with key creative contributions from Hasbro’s Steven Gelberg and will premiere on the CW on Oct. 3.
Additionally, Hasbro is working on TV formats involving the Monopoly and Nerf brands and a reimagining of the board game Clue in partnership with SPTNF.
In his new role, Edwin will oversee the expansion of Hasbro’s unscripted slate as well as its partnerships with Lionsgate and other talent, studios and distributors. He will report to Gabriel Marano, head of TV.
At IPC and SPTNF, Edwin worked on unscripted series including “Selena + Chef” on Max, “Indian Matchmaking” on Netflix, “Top Secret Videos” with Ron Funches on TruTV. “Pokemon: Trainer Tour” on Amazon Prime Video and the YouTube original series “How To: Olympics and Mind Field” as well as projects for Discovery, National Geographic, Food Network and more.
“Hasbro Entertainment is committed to working with the best in the business to bring our beloved and iconic brands to life. Zach is an excellent fit to help us build an unscripted division befitting of Hasbro’s iconic history and portfolio,” Marano said in a statement. “He brings a wealth of experience shepherding major unscripted projects to the screen for top partners. With multiple major projects coming soon, we look forward to delighting wide audiences with shows as fun and exciting as the worlds they draw from.”
“Hasbro Entertainment is positioned to be a true leader in the unscripted space, wielding an amazing collection of historic, globally popular brands to create high-quality content for audiences worldwide,” Edwin said. “I look forward to working in collaboration with Gabe and the rest of the Hasbro Entertainment team, as well as top-tier partners like Lionsgate and my former colleagues at SPTNF, to seize the huge opportunity ahead of us.”
Source Agencies
