Heather Olander has been named senior VP, alternative series development and production for Syfy. Olander is currently senior VP of alternative development and production at Syfy’s sister network USA. She will work in both capacities until early next year, when she will transition in full to Syfy, reporting to Bill McGoldrick, executive VP of original content for the network.
At USA, Olander oversaw development of Chrisley Knows Best, which drew 1.5 million viewers in Nielsen live-plus-same day ratings for its April 22 season 1 finale.
“Heather’s impressive pedigree and track record makes her the perfect choice to take over the reins of Syfy’s growing slate of high quality unscripted programming,” said Dave Howe, president of Syfy and Chiller.
Prior stints for Olander include CBS Television Distribution, where she was VP of programming and development, and MTV, where she was VP of original series development and current programming.
