Jane Wiseman, executive vice president and head of originals at Paramount+, is following her former boss Cindy Holland in leaving the streamer. Wiseman, who joined Paramount+ in August 2025, will not transition to the merged Skydance structure under Casey Bloys, who revealed his new direct reports in a memo to staff Friday.
As part of the move, Sarah Aubrey, head of original programming at HBO Max, will also take on those roles at Paramount+.
“Managing two streaming platforms with original programming will require great collaboration and a team mentality,” Bloys said in his memo to staff. “The opportunity before us is enormous and with your skills and commitment we will undoubtedly excel. »
Speculation had focused on Bloys’ plans to consolidate Paramount+ into the HBO Max family after receiving the keys to the streamer last month. Amid the news, Holland immediately stepped down, leaving open the question of what would happen to her team at Paramount+ — particularly Wiseman. Although insiders have said Wiseman has expressed a willingness to stay and there have been discussions about his role in the combined company, Bloys’ new setup essentially keeps the structure of HBO and HBO Max intact. Paramount+ already had a skeleton staff, so it’s unclear how much additional attrition there might be.
“Jane, in her partnership with Cindy Holland, has done an incredible job at Paramount+,” Bloys said in his note. “The development roster is incredibly impressive and Jane has graciously offered to help us with the transition. She is an extraordinarily talented executive. I appreciate all of her support and wish her all the best.”
As part of the announcement, Glenn Whitehead – who had served as president of business affairs and production at HBO and HBO Max – will now become president and chief operating officer of HBO and Paramount+, continuing to oversee business affairs, production and operations for both platforms.
Francesa Orsi will continue to oversee the drama business as president of HBO Drama Series and Films. Aubrey’s new title is head of Paramount+, Max Originals and international programming. “Sarah will also work closely with me and Skydance leadership on the iteration of Paramount+ as we look to align with HBO Max. Additionally, Sarah will continue to be responsible for Max Originals, its current series, and international programming for streaming platforms,” Bloys wrote.
Additionally, Amy Gravitt continues to oversee comedy as executive vice president of HBO programming and head of HBO comedy series and HBO Max. Nina Rosenstein continues to serve as executive vice president of HBO Late Night & Specials programming. And Nancy Abraham and Lisa Heller remain co-executive vice presidents of documentary programming at HBO.
At Paramount+, Wiseman increased the streamer’s output, ordering shows including “Discretion” starring Nicole Kidman and Elle Fanning, while also striking deals with producers such as the Duffer Brothers and Issa Rae. Under Wiseman and Holland, the streamer ordered nearly 30 new series and renewed 16 more.
“I am incredibly proud of this team. It has been a privilege to be a part of it,” Wiseman wrote in a note to her team. “Together, we green-lighted more than 40 new and returning scripted, unscripted, children’s, family and animation series, including ‘Discretion,’ ‘Fear Not,’ ‘Laird,’ ‘Trauma,’ ‘Ascent,’ ‘Clueless,’ and ‘The Best Of Us,’ to name a few. You championed them early, fought for them against competing offers, and made quick decisions that allowed the creators to keep faith in us.
Prior to Paramount+, Wiseman spent a little over a year as head of US television at Sister, and before that he consulted for Prime Video. Wiseman spent 10 years at Netflix as vice president of original series and head of comedy, working closely with Holland there as its first employee just as the streamer was ramping up its original offerings in 2014.
At Netflix, Wiseman helped launch hits like “Ozark,” “Narcos,” “Dead to Me,” “Russian Doll,” “Master of None,” “Never Have I Ever,” “Big Mouth,” “BoJack Horseman,” “The Kominsky Method” and “Grace and Frankie.”
Wiseman’s career has also included time as SVP/Head of Comedy at Chernin Entertainment, SVP of Comedy at NBCUniversal, and Director of Comedy Development at Fox.
As for Aubrey, she has been in charge of originals at HBO Max since 2019, before the service launched. She remained in her role after Bloys took over oversight of the streamer in August 2020. Before that, Aubrey was executive vice president of original programming at TNT and a television and film producer at Film 44 (“Friday Night Lights”).
Here is Bloys’ memo describing his new structure:
Team,
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been diving into Skydance DTC’s future content structure, wanting to best position us to achieve our short- and long-term goals. When you think about the range of shows from Harry Potter and The White Lotus to Landman and Dutton Ranch – just a small sampling of HBO Max and Paramount+ – you appreciate what we will offer our consumers… and that’s just the beginning. Managing two streaming platforms with original programming will require a lot of collaboration and a team mentality. The opportunity before us is enormous and with your skills and commitment we will undoubtedly excel.
It’s no surprise that when David and I began discussing the future of streaming, he recognized HBO as a valuable asset in the acquisition and that it would play an important role in the company’s evolution. He knew that HBO was a collective – not a single person – that allowed the brand to thrive.
So when we started to formally map out a structure, that was the focus of our thinking, but it wasn’t the only one. Yes, HBO needs to continue its tradition of television excellence, but we also need 1) HBO Max and Paramount+ to continue their respective momentum until we are ready to bring them together, 2) team responsibilities need to be clearly defined so that the creative community also knows where different programming fits into our operation.
That said, I’m happy to share with you the Skydance DTC content leadership team that I believe will best position us for success:
Glenn Whitehead, President and COO, HBO and Paramount+: Glenn will oversee business affairs, production and operations across the streaming platforms. Additionally, he will continue to guide AI initiatives for the department.
Francesca Orsi, President, HBO Drama Series and Films: Frannie will oversee the development and production of all HBO drama programming for HBO Max. She will work alongside me in an expanded role to determine which of the drama projects entering the ecosystem best embodies the HBO brand.
Sarah Aubrey, head of Paramount+, Max Originals and international programming: Sarah will oversee all programming for Paramount+. Sarah will also work closely with me and Skydance management on the iteration of Paramount+ as we look to align with HBO Max. Additionally, Sarah will continue to be responsible for Max Originals, its current series and international programming for streaming platforms.
Amy Gravitt, Executive Vice President of HBO Programming, Head of HBO Comedy Series and HBO Max: Amy is responsible for the development and production of HBO comedy series and HBO Max.
Nina Rosenstein, Executive Vice President, HBO Late Night Programming and Specials: Nina develops and manages production of HBO’s late night programming and specials.
Nancy Abraham and Lisa Heller, Co-Executive Vice Presidents, HBO Documentary Programming: Nancy and Lisa lead the documentary slate for HBO and HBO Max, in the genres of crime, sports, biographies and more.
Jeff Cusson, Executive Vice President and Head of Communications at Skydance DTC, will work closely with me and the content managers. Jeff will oversee global communications strategy, advertising, events, talent relations and awards for streaming platforms. He will share the reporting line with JB Perrette, co-CEO of Skydance DTC and TV, and Melissa Zukerman, Skydance’s director of communications.
These leaders and their teams have a long history of consistent performance on key audience, awards and critical response metrics. No doubt they will continue to do so through Skydance DTC.
I would also like to thank Jane Wiseman. Jane, in partnership with Cindy Holland, has done incredible work at Paramount+. The development list is incredibly impressive and Jane has graciously offered to help with the transition. She is an extraordinarily talented executive. I appreciate all his support and wish him all the best.
I know we still have a lot to discover, but this first step should provide some direction. I’ve asked everyone above to start reaching out to their team members if they haven’t already. I look forward to spending more time with each of you and can’t wait to see everything we accomplish together.
Casey
And here is Wiseman’s note to his team:
Team,
A year ago, we inherited a solid foundation and decided to expand on it. We had a record for Paramount+ Originals: Season 2 of “Landman” was in Nielsen’s Top 10 Originals for 13 consecutive weeks; “The Madison” broke audience records among women; “Dutton Ranch” launched as the largest original series premiere in Paramount+ history; Season 3 of “Lioness” has been growing every week, up 62% from season 2, and the second season of “MobLand” is off to an incredible start.
I am incredibly proud of this team. It was a privilege to be part of it.
Together, we’ve greenlit more than 40 new and returning series across scripted, unscripted, kids, family and animation, including “Discretion,” “Fear Not,” “Laird,” “Trauma,” “Ascent,” “Clueless” and “The Best Of Us,” to name a few. You defended them very early,…
Gn entert
