Sony Pictures Television has brought on unscripted executive and producer Michael Weinberg as senior vice president of development in its newly-formed game show production unit, Variety has learned exclusively.
In the new role, Weinberg will develop game shows across all platforms and will identify new growth opportunities for the game shows division, which is focused on expanding the company’s footprint in the category. Sony Pictures Television is behind mega-powerhouses “Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy!”
An Emmy-winning producer, Weinberg’s extensive list of game show credits includes “Press Your Luck,” “1 Versus 100,” “To Tell the Truth” and “Don’t Forget the Lyrics.”
Earlier this year, Sony made a major push into unscripted content expansion with the $350 million acquisition of Industrial Media. At that time, the company also announced that longtime Sony exec Suzanne Prete would oversee production in a newly-formed game show division. Weinberg will report to Prete, executive vice president of game shows.
“I am thrilled to have Michael joining the SPT family,” said Prete. “He is a multi-talented, creative producer with wide-ranging experience, which makes him an ideal fit for this role. I look forward to working closely with Michael to develop exciting new programs for our clients who are hungry for more exciting game show content.”
“I feel like I won the ultimate game show prize! Working with Suzanne and the stellar Sony IP is a dream come true. As game shows are going through an exciting renaissance, we have the perfect combination of legacy and limitless possibilities to create compelling content for everyone, everywhere,” said Weinberg.
Prior to joining Sony, Weinberg was president at InventTV, and before, he served a decade-long tenure at Endemol Shine North America where he departed as the executive vice president of syndication.
As president at InventTV, Weinberg developed the Los Angeles-based production company’s slate of original programming and oversaw all aspects of production. InventTV is behind “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City,” “Twenties After Show With B. Scott,” “Oprah With Meghan and Harry” and “The Oprah Conversation” with Barack Obama, Will Smith and Dolly Parton. Weinberg was at Endemol Shine North America from 2009 through 2019 where he developed “The Steve Harvey Show” and the nationally-syndicated entertainment news show “Page Six TV.”
Weinberg began in his new role at Sony this week. He will be based at the Culver City, Calif., headquarters.
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