National Geographic has tapped Karen Greenfield to fill the newly created position of senior VP of content, diversity and inclusion.

In her new role, Greenfield will work with Nat Geo content creative teams to “develop and produce inclusive storytelling for a multicultural and multigenerational audience,” according to the network. Greenfield, who previously served as senior VP of business operations as well as National Geographic content, diversity and inclusion council chair, will also work with leaders across The Walt Disney Co. to ensure Nat Geo talent and programming are integrated into company-wide DEI initiatives.

Greenfield will report to National Geographic content president Courteney Monroe. “For 134 years, National Geographic has used the power of storytelling to change the world. An essential component of that is ensuring that everyone’s voice is included,” Monroe said in a statement. “Karen is an exceptional executive with a proven track record leading diversity and inclusion initiatives and working with the world’s leading content creators. I am thrilled that Karen will be leveraging her extraordinary talents and passion to help guide us in our mission to inspire and elevate diversity and inclusion in every aspect of our work and storytelling, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.”

Nat Geo also announced that it has renewed for the second year its Nat Geo Media Scholarship program for students who attend historically Black colleges or universities (HBCUs). The initiative, led by Greenfield, last year awarded four recipients a $10,000 scholarship, an opportunity to participate in a two-week immersion program at National Geographic headquarters, and a mentorship with a Nat Geo employee, said the company. 

“I could not be prouder to not only work for National Geographic, an iconic brand whose mission is to ensure all voices are included in storytelling, but also work alongside Courteney and her senior team, who believe in this value,” Greenfield said. “The green-light of the second year of the Nat Geo Media Scholarship is a testament to their commitment.” ▪️

While perennial standouts HBO and Netflix had their usual strong showings at the 71st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, Amazon Prime Video surprisingly scored seven wins during Fox’s live telecast — second only to HBO — and 15 Emmys overall, finishing third behind HBO and Netflix.

Another surprise: National Geographic finished fourth among all cable, broadcast and streaming services with eight Emmy statuettes, and first among all basic cable networks, outperforming the likes of FX and VH1 (adding in Primetime and Creative Arts awards).

Leading Nat Geo’s Emmy run was documentary film Free Solo, about climber Alex Honnold’s attempted ascent of Yosemite National Park’s El Capitan. It won seven Creative Arts Emmys, including Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/ Nonfiction Program for show directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin. (Nat Geo’s wildlife documentary series Life Below Zero won the Emmy for Outstanding Cinematography for a Reality Program.)

National Geographic Global Television Networks president Courteney Monroe talked with Multichannel News about the programmer’s big Emmy night, as well as how it plans to build on those the wins. Here’s an edited transcript of that conversation.

MCN: Were you surprised at Nat Geo’s Emmy performance?
Courteney Monroe: I’d be lying if I said we weren’t. Teams across many divisions worked extremely hard to be sure we were getting our programming in front of TV Academy members in innovative and creative ways. Ultimately, the quality of the programs that were recognized speaks for itself. For Free Solo to go seven for seven and win every category for which it was nominated — making it the most Emmy-winning documentary of all time — is a testament to the incredible craft that went into making that film.

MCN: How do Nat Geo’s eight Emmy Awards enhance the network’s brand?
CM: We want to be one of the first ports of call for best-in-class storytellers in the entertainment business. The current TV landscape gives creators a lot of options when it comes to finding homes for their programs. Emmy Awards are a great statement to the creative community that we are in the business of making premium, compelling and important programs and that we support those programs with innovative marketing and awards campaigns.

MCN: Why did Free Solo resonate both with viewers and Emmy voters?
CM:Free Solo is a beautifully made, well-crafted film, made by some of the best editors, cinematographers, sound editors and mixers and directors in the business. It also has a gripping — pun intended — story at its center. I think Alex’s journey to chase his dreams, as absolutely wild as they may be, is something that resonates with everyone.

MCN: Nat Geo recently signed Free Solo’s Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin to a first-look deal. What are your expectations for projects from the duo?
CM: We’re excited to expand our partnership with them to create not only more documentary films, but documentary series for the network. Chai and Jimmy are visionary filmmakers who share our same passion for storytelling, striving unfailingly for the high standards that we look for in our premium content. In fact, we just green-lit their next feature documentary and hope to share details soon.

MCN: How does Nat Geo build on its strong Emmy performance?
CM: We’ve got an exciting year ahead. We’re hard at work on the next season of our Emmy-winning franchise series Genius, which will center on Aretha Franklin; the next season of the Emmy-winning epic science series Cosmos; the relaunch of our Emmy-nominated legacy series Brain Games, hosted by Keegan-Michael Key; and an incredibly fun and informative new series we’ve created for Disney+, The World According to Jeff Goldblum.

National Geographic has made its first upfront programming pitch as part of The Walt Disney Co., with a slate of mostly unscripted, fact-based programs that include the returning Brain Games, wildlife-focused special Alaska Live and competition series Race to the Center of the Earth. National Geographic Global Networks CEO Courteney Monroe spoke to Multichannel News prior to the May 14 Disney Upfront Experience event to discuss the network’s positioning under its new ownership — Disney acquired Nat Geo and Nat Geo Wild as part of its $71.3 billion purchase of certain 21st Century Fox programming assets — and its programming strategy balancing scripted and unscripted content.

MCN:Nat Geo’s new slate is heavy on unscripted content. Does this mark a shift away from scripted fare?
Courteney Monroe: There’s no shift for us … what we announced is very much a continuation of the strategy that we embarked on a couple of years ago, which is being the destination for premium factual television. We have one big scripted show this year (Genius: Aretha), which we are super-excited about. I think the balance of scripted and unscripted is what it’s always been, but I think this is the most entertaining upfront slate that we’ve launched to date. Premium and smart is not mutually exclusive with entertaining, so I’m excited about the shows and talent we’re working with. It reflects very much a continuation of the mission we set a couple of years ago.

MCN:Are you concerned about the increase in competition both on linear and streaming platforms within the factual/natural history genre?
CM: We have long been a leader in the space, and we have the benefit of this incredibly strong, iconic brand, which serves as curator of sorts. When it comes to natural history specifically, the more people that are shedding light on wildlife and natural history, the better it is in regard to the ultimate, underlying mission. Nobody does it like us when it comes to being visually spectacular, so the more the merrier … I’m focused on running our race, and I feel really good about what we have.

MCN:How has National Geographic’s transition under Disney ownership affected the network’s brand?
CM: [The transition] has been really great. I feel so lucky for all of us at National Geographic to be part of Disney. The brands are so well-aligned and they very snugly fit. There’s no better company at brand stewardship than Disney and they’ve welcomed us with open arms. I honestly believe that being part of Disney will turbocharge our brand and business in ways that have never been possible before. I don’t just mean the business segment that I run in terms of television and content, but even areas of the business that I don’t oversee like the travel business, our consumer products business, and our kids business. With those now housed within Disney, we have a real potential to grow.

MCN:Do you expect any major changes with regards to programming and content development?
CM: First and foremost, they are very supportive of the premium strategy that we’re pursuing, so we’ll see a continuation of that and the focus on our linear channel business. We’re going to also have the opportunity to scale the National Geographic content brand on Disney+ and potentially on Hulu, so that’s really exciting to introduce the brand to new audiences and to be a part of what is Disney’s biggest corporate strategic priority. That’s what I mean by the opportunity to turbocharge our business; we’re going to be able to make content that will be seen across multiple platforms.

National Geographic Global Networks president Courteney Monroe has signed a new contract to continue in her post as the network becomes part of The Walt Disney Co.

Monroe will continue to report to Gary Knell, chairman of National Geographic Partners.

She will continue to oversee global programming, operations and marketing for the National Geographic channels around the world and oversee NG Studios.

“We’re very excited to build on Courteney’s successful strategy, which has resulted in year-over-year growth, generated unprecedented critical acclaim and significantly raised the profile of National Geographic,” said Knell. “I have no doubt that Courteney will continue to drive growth and success for our brand around the world.”

At National Geographic Channels, Geoff Daniels was named executive VP, global unscripted entertainment, He’d been doing the job on an interim basis. Also Carolyn Bernstein becomes executive VP, global scripted content and documentary films.

Daniels and Bernstein both report to Monroe.

As the holiday season approaches, several cable networks will hope to receive an early ratings gift by premiering high-profile scripted content in mid-November.

With the end of a long and ratings-rich presidential election and with the broadcast networks set to take a hiatus from scheduling new episodes of scripted shows heading into the holidays, cable networks like BBC America, Pop, National Geographic, TNT and TBS are all hoping to fill a programming void with original content.

“We wanted to get in just ahead of the holiday programming and take advantage of a moment when a lot of the noise around fall launches is abating,” BBC America president Sarah Barnett said. “No week of the year is uncluttered today, but believe it or not, there can be a small moment of relative space here.”

PAUSE BEFORE HOLIDAYS

BBC America on Wednesday (Nov. 16) will premiere crime drama Undercover, one of at least eight new cable scripted series premiering within 10 days of Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 24). Typically, networks tend to shy away from premiering new shows in the days leading up to the holiday season and the glut of holiday specials and movies. But with more than 400 scripted shows launching year round, Barnett said no time period is off-limits.

Pop president Brad Schwartz said strong ratings for presidential election coverage has shortened what is normally a solid series premiere window running from mid- October through mid-November. As a result, the network will debut its late night-themed comedy series Nightcap later than desired, on Nov. 16.

“If you’re waiting for the election to end but you want it be in front of the holidays, this is the time to launch,” Schwartz said. “You don’t want to get too far into the holiday season because then you get close to Christmas when people’s viewing habits begin to change and it becomes harder to get the message out for your show.”

National Geographic will premiere its highly-touted Mars series tonight (Nov. 14, see review). The network is launching a new on-air look and rebrand around the Brian Grazer/Ron Howard produced series, which will feature both scripted and documentary elements around the future colonization of the red planet.

“Mars is the centerpiece of our new premium strategy and its creatively ambitious for us,” Courteney Monroe, CEO of National Geographic Global Networks, said. “We’re really interested in what the audience thinks and how they react.”

‘SEARCH PARTY’ ON THE WAY

TBS and BBC America said they too are altering the debut schedule of their respective new shows to help build greater awareness and ratings. TBS will launch its 10-episode comedy series Search Party over five consecutive nights beginning Nov. 21, according to network officials.

BBC America’s six-hour Undercover series will air over two nights. Barnett said the network wanted to create some additional buzz for the series by allowing viewers to binge view the series over consecutive nights.

“As a linear network, we understand that there is some content that audiences especially love to binge, and phenomenally written, dramatically shocking mini seasons fall into this category of ‘must devour’ TV,” Barnett said. “We scheduled it in a way where fans could truly immerse themselves in this riveting thriller.”

SIDEBAR: On Script

A partial list of the scripted cable series premiering between Nov. 14-24:

Show                          Network                    Genre                     Premiere Date

Mars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nat Geo . . . . . . . . . Drama . . . . . . . . . . .Nov. 14

Good Behavior . . . . . . . .TNT . . . . . . . . . . . Drama . . . . . . . . . . . Nov. 15

Shooter . . . . . . . . . . . . . .USA . . . . . . . . . . Drama . . . . . . . . . . .Nov. 15

Sweet/Vicious . . . . . . . .  MTV . . . . . . . . . Dramedy . . . . . . . . . .Nov. 15

Ice . . . . . . . . . . . . Audience Network . . . . . Drama . . . . . . . . . . .Nov. 16

Nightcap . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pop . . . . . . . . . . . Comedy . . . . . . . . . . Nov. 16

Undercover . . . . . . . BBC America . . . . . . . Drama . . . . . . . . . . .Nov. 16

Lovesick . . . . . . . . . . . . Netflix . . . . . . . . . Comedy . . . . . . . . . . Nov. 17

Search Party . . . . . . . . . .TBS . . . . . . . . . . . Comedy . . . . . . . . . . Nov. 21

SOURCE :Multichannel News research

The reinvention of niche cable networks looking to better position themselves in a crowded and competitive marketplace has been commonplace over the past few years.

At last week’s Television Critics Association press tour, three familiar cable-network brands joined the reinvention movement by announcing sweeping changes in their operating strategies to meet the demands of a new television world.

National Geographic Channel promised that its on-air programming will not look the same one year from now as it seeks to take the brand to the next level within the entertainment arena.

Much bigger premium series, specials and documentaries featuring big-name talent will be the new face of Nat Geo, CEO Courteney Monroe said. The goal is to get to the same level as other entertainment-based networks without losing the value and appeal of the overall National Geographic brand.

Top-echelon networks TNT and TBS will go through a “full reinvention” over the next three years, TBS and TNT president and Turner Entertainment chief creative officer Kevin Reilly said at TCA. By adding quality original content, improving the consumer viewing experience, creating a new business paradigm for the networks that will include limiting the ad load in original shows, and investing in overall growth, Reilly said he hopes to change Turner’s struggling ratings fortunes.

ABC Family will go one step further. Starting later this month, it will abandon it’s 15-year moniker for a new one, Freeform. The network hopes the name will better reflect its mandate to reach young millennials with its drama and comedy programming.

The common denominator with all the networks is a decline in primetime ratings in 2015 compared with the previous year, with TNT and ABC Family suffering double-digit dips. The networks find themselves playing the reinvention game amid a shifting television landscape that is chasing viewers not chained to the small tube for their viewing options.

Brenda Freeman, the former Turner Broadcasting and DreamWorks Animation marketing executive, has been hired as chief marketing officer for National Geographic Channel and Nat Geo WILD, filling the post that was vacated when Courteney Monroe was made CEO of National Geographic Channels last April. Freeman's hire follows the appointment in September of Tim Pastore as president of original programming & production as Monroe moves to bolster her senior team.

Freeman joins from her most recent post as global head of television marketing for DreamWorks Animation, where she spearheaded the vision and global marketing efforts for the rapidly expanding DreamWorks TV business, managing brand marketing and advertising plans for more than 1,000 hours of original content around the world, NGC said in a release.

As CMO, Freeman will oversee the channels' marketing efforts, including brand development and strategy, consumer on-air and off-air campaigns, trade marketing, digital marketing, digital content, social media, media strategy, partnership marketing and all creative for NGC and Nat Geo WILD. She also will oversee the network’s consumer communications efforts, including consumer publicity campaigns, talent relations, special events, public affairs, education outreach and digital publicity for both networks.

“Brenda’s energy, insight and vast experience in entertainment marketing make her a great fit as we continue to elevate the National Geographic Channels within the industry and in the minds of consumers,” Monroe said in the release. “With her talents, we have another great addition to our senior team poised to take us to the next level.”

“I am thrilled to join Courteney and her team at such an exciting time in the evolution of the National Geographic Channels,” Freeman, who was a Multichannel NewsWonder Woman in 2014, said in the release. “Both channels have such exciting projects in the works, I cannot wait to get started. And it is a real treat to be able to return to my hometown.”

Freeman earlier spent six years at Turner Broadcasting, most recently as chief marketing officer for Turner Animation, Young Adults and Kids Media. At Turner, Freeman was responsible for all areas of marketing and network operations, including digital, games, on-air, advertising, consumer and trade communications, special events and affiliate support for the global multiplatform Cartoon Network, Adult Swim and Boomerang brands.

The National Geographic Channels management overhaul continued with the promotion of Courteney Monroe from chief marketing officer to CEO and the appointment of David Hill as chairman, and the departure of David Lyle as CEO.

The changes, made by joint venture partners the National Geographic Society and Fox Networks Group, came a day after it was announced that channels president Howard Owens was leaving. Under Lyle and Owens, National Geographic Channel, the largest in the channels group, had a record ratings year in 2013, boosted by original series such as Brain Games and Wicked Tuna and specials such as Killing Kennedy.

Hill, who currently serves as senior executive vice president of 21st Century Fox and is on the National Geographic Channels board of directors, will provide counsel to the executive and programming leadership team. He also will remain on the NGC Board and continue to play a leadership role in the production of American Idol. A member of the Fox extended family since 1993, Hill has overseen Fox broadcasting, sports and DirecTV when it was in the Rupert Murdoch camp, among other senior roles.

Lyle, a longtime Fox executive, has served as CEO of National Geographic Channels since 2011.

As CEO, Monroe, a former top marketing executive at HBO, will be responsible for all operations of the domestic National Geographic Channels, which include National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD and Nat Geo MUNDO.

“Courteney is a truly remarkable executive, with a proven track record of energizing programming brands — both here at National Geographic Channels and during her time at HBO,” Fox Networks Group chairman and CEO Peter Rice and National Geographic Society CEO Gary Knell said in a joint release. “She is also a proven leader, who has a clear vision of the television landscape, and we are very lucky to have her overseeing our domestic channels.”

“David Lyle led National Geographic Channels U.S. through a period of tremendous commercial and creative growth, including the highest-rated period in the channel’s history,” Rice and Knell also said. “We will be forever grateful to David for his efforts and we join the entire National Geographic family in wishing him the best in his future endeavors.”