Sports Media Report
WWE this week announced that Susan Levison has been named Senior Vice President and Head of WWE Studios, reporting to WWE Co-President Michelle Wilson. WWE Studios is the organization’s multi-platform content division that develops and produces scripted and non-scripted series, documentaries, animated programming and feature films.
WWE Studios has already seen success with hit shows Total Divas and Total Bellas on E!, Miz & Mrs. on USA, as well as documentaries in partnership with HBO and ESPN. It has also produced movies such as The Call and The Marine franchise, and most recently teamed up with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson/Seven Bucks Productions, Kevin Misher and Film 4 to produce the feature film Fighting with My Family, written and directed by Stephen Merchant, which hit theaters nationwide last month.
“I’m thrilled to have Susan at the helm of WWE Studios given her vast relationships and experience in producing high-quality, compelling content,” said Wilson. “WWE Studios is making a big push in global content across genres and platforms to reach new audiences, super-serve our passionate fans and further establish the WWE brand.”
“I could not be more excited to join WWE Studios,” said Levison. “This is a massive brand with a passionate worldwide audience and there are endless opportunities for WWE Studios to become a leading content provider around the world.”
Levison comes to WWE from CBS Television Studios, where she was Senior Vice President, Alternative Programming, responsible for all unscripted development and production across cable, streaming and digital platforms. While at CBS, she produced unscripted projects and series in a variety of genres.
Prior to CBS, Levison served as Executive Vice President, Original Programming & Production at VH1, overseeing more than 350 hours of original programming and development each year. During that time, Levison ramped up their scripted efforts, developing the critically acclaimed drama, Hindsight. She also launched Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood, which ranked as cable’s highest-rated new unscripted series of 2014, and the Nicole Richie soft-scripted series Candidly Nicole.
Previously, Levison helped to launch FishBowl Worldwide Media, a startup production company, where she developed, sold and produced scripted and unscripted series for Bravo, Discovery, TruTV, Animal Planet, Fuse and VH1.
She began her career at Fox Broadcasting Company in the Alternative Development where she worked on shows such as American Idol, Temptation Island and The Simple Life. She also worked in both the Drama Development and Comedy Development departments, where she worked on such series as Bones, House, and Bob’s Burgers.
