OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network Tuesday named Nina Wass as its new senior vice president of creative affairs where she’ll be responsible for managing all programming, scheduling and production units for the network.
Wass spent the past nine years producing programs for Touchstone Television/ABC Studios. She will report to OWN president Robin Schwartz and will serve as a chief member of the senior management team responsible for forging the network’s strategic direction.
“One of the most outstanding producers in the industry, Nina’s combination of unparalleled professional and personal qualities makes her the ideal choice for our first senior leadership position at OWN,” Schwartz said in a statement. “Her career as a producer and a television executive, coupled with her brilliant storytelling and casting skills, are a perfect fit for OWN, and will put us in a position of great strength as we lay the foundation of the channel. As importantly, Nina believes passionately in the OWN brand, which represents living your best life.”
As an executive producer, Wass has supervised all aspects of development, production and post-production, including generating show concepts, hiring writers and directors, and interfacing with studio and network executives, scheduling, promotion, marketing, business affairs, agents and managers.
Prior to her Touchstone Television/ABC Studios deal, Wass spent more than 10 years at Witt-Thomas-Harris, a prolific television production company, where she began as an assistant and worked her way through the ranks as a producer on several hundred episodes of television, including four years on the multiple Emmy Award-winning The Golden Girls. Ultimately, she was promoted to president of the company.
