Television
June 11, 2009
Warner Bros. Television Names Erin Gough Wehrenberg Senior Vice President, Comedy Development
(June 11, 2009 – Burbank, CA) – Warner Bros. Television has tapped highly respected development and programming executive Erin Gough Wehrenberg to join the company as its new Senior Vice President, Comedy Development. The announcement was made today by Len Goldstein, Executive Vice President, Creative Affairs, Warner Bros. Television (WBTV).
In her position, Gough Wehrenberg will supervise the day-to-day operations of WBTV’s primetime comedy series development group, collaborating with existing WBTV-based writers and producers, and spearheading the company’s search for new talent and creative material.
“We loved working with Erin as a buyer and creative partner at the network, and we’ve seen first-hand her strong working relationships with talent and her great taste in material,” said Goldstein. “She is a terrific executive and a perfect fit for our team.”
Gough Wehrenberg will report to Goldstein and will lead a highly successful comedy team which also includes development vice presidents Lisa Lang and Wendy Steinhoff-Baldikoski. At the recent May 2009 upfronts, WBTV landed two new comedy series on ABC’s schedule for the 2009–2010 season: “Hank,” starring Kelsey Grammer and airing Wednesdays at 8 p.m. this fall, and “The Middle,” starring Patricia Heaton and airing Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m. this fall. WBTV is also returning three sitcoms to the CBS schedule: TV’s #1 comedy in “Two and a Half Men,” “The Big Bang Theory” and “The New Adventures of Old Christine.”
Prior to joining WBTV, Gough Wehrenberg served for 13 years in a number of progressively responsible programming and development positions at NBC Entertainment and sister production company Universal Media Studios. Most recently, she was Executive Vice President, Universal Media Studios. In that role, she oversaw studio comedy development and current programming for both comedy and drama series as the studio’s number two executive.
From May 2004–February 2008, Gough Wehrenberg worked in series programming at NBC Entertainment, rising to the position of Executive Vice President, Current Series. During her tenure, she supervised such lauded shows as the Emmy® Award–winning “30 Rock,” “Friday Night Lights,” “Heroes,” “My Name Is Earl,” “The Office” and “Medium,” among others.
From June 2002–May 2004, she was Vice President, Comedy Development, where she helped develop “The Office” and also oversaw programming on “Ed” and Warner Bros. Television’s hit comedy “Friends.” Prior to that, Gough Wehrenberg served her first stint in the series programming department, where she supervised the acclaimed “Freaks and Geeks.”
Gough Wehrenberg is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology. # # #