Ed Hersh Named Senior Vice President, Strategic Planning, for Investigation Discovery
-- Veteran Cable Executive, Programming Consultant and Award-winning Producer Joins ID Executive Team --
September 9, 2009
(Silver Spring, Md.) Investigation Discovery president and general manager Henry Schleiff announced today the appointment of Ed Hersh -- a veteran cable executive, programming consultant and award-winning producer with broad experience in investigation content -- to the newly-created position of senior vice president, strategic planning for ID. Reporting directly to Schleiff, Hersh will be based in Discovery Communications' New York office.
With responsibility for creating the long-term content, production, acquisition, marketing and promotion strategy for the network, Hersh will work with Schleiff to evolve the Investigation Discovery brand; collaborate with the advertising sales and distribution teams to create new production models and content vehicles; and serve as a resource for the programming, production, and development teams on execution and storytelling.
"I have known Ed for more than nine years. He is a great strategist and a talented storyteller who was an important contributor to our success at Court TV," said Schleiff. "Bringing Ed to ID as chief strategist will help me realize our goal of exponentially growing ID's audience, revenue and brand while defining the network as THE premier destination for investigative content in all of television."
Hersh was previously chief creative officer of StoryCentric LLC, a company he founded to provide executive-level strategic and programming insight to content producers and networks. In that role, he served as an ongoing consultant to several major nonfiction production companies, as well as to WNET in New York, one of the nation's largest PBS member stations, where he helped create, develop, and launch "Blueprint America," a year-long network-wide initiative on the nation's crumbling infrastructure.
Hersh joined Court TV in 2001 and spent seven years in leadership roles at the network, most recently as executive vice president, current programming and specials, where he oversaw the editorial direction and production of all primetime original nonfiction programming, including Dominick Dunne's Power, Privilege and Justice; Body of Evidence and Forensic Files, and award-winning documentary specials during a period of unprecedented ratings and demographic growth.
Prior to his tenure at Court TV, Hersh was vice president, documentary programming for A&E Television Network, where he lead the development, production and strategy for the network's signature investigation series, including Investigative Reports, American Justice and A&E documentary specials.
"I'm thrilled both to be reunited with Henry and to join the enthusiastic and talented team at Discovery," said Hersh. "Investigation Discovery is poised for tremendous growth and I'm very pleased to have the opportunity to help shape its strategy for success."
An award-winning journalist and producer, Hersh spent more than 16 years at ABC News in senior production roles for programming ranging from World News Tonight with Peter Jennings to Vietnam: The Soldier's Story (for TLC) and the newsmagazine Day One.
A two-time winner of the Columbia-duPont Award, Hersh also received an Emmy for the ABC News special Peter Jennings Reporting: Who is Ross Perot? and his work has been honored by the National Association of Black Journalists, the Gabriel Awards, the National Association of Science Writers and the American Bar Association.
A graduate of Syracuse University and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, Hersh has served as a member of the adjunct faculty at Columbia and has taught a graduate level course on the business of television at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse. He is also an advisor and faculty member of ETMA, the European Television and Media Management Academy in Strasbourg, France.
About Investigation Discovery
Investigation Discovery (ID) is the source for fact-based investigative content about culture, history and the human condition. ID, the new authority in real investigations, is expanding partnerships with leading news organizations and production companies to bring the strongest analytic, factual investigative and current affairs programming to 54 million U.S. households. Providing the highest quality investigative programming focused on fascinating stories of human nature from the past to the present, Investigation Discovery's in-depth documentaries and series challenge viewers on important issues shaping our culture and defining our world. For more information, please visit investigation.discovery.com.