BET Networks Announces Key New Hires and Promotions in Its Entertainment Division

BET Networks Announces Key New Hires and Promotions in Its Entertainment Division

Brett King Tapped to Be Senior Vice President, Scripted Programming

Robyn Lattaker-Johnson Promoted to Senior Vice President, Development, Reality Programming

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- After a strong summer slate featuring five new original shows and leading into 10 new series and specials launching this fall, BET Networks has announced several key hires and promotions in its Entertainment division. Brett King has been named Senior Vice President of Scripted Programming, and Robyn Lattaker-Johnson has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Development, Reality Programming. In addition, Sitarah Pendelton was appointed Vice President of Development, Audrey LaCatis Onyeike was named Vice President of Talent, and Melanie Massie has been upped to Vice President of Talent. Shaun Williams was also named Vice President of Business Operations. LaCatis Onyeike is based in New York City, and the other executives are based in Los Angeles.

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"As BET continues to deliver on its commitment on developing strong original programming, it is critical that we have individuals who bring creativity, innovative thinking and unique vision to the network," said Reginald Hudlin, President of Entertainment, BET. "These talented executives are invaluable additions to our Entertainment team, and with them on board and with the successful launches of five new shows this summer, we're poised to have an even more impressive fall and exciting line-up in the months to come."

In his role as Senior Vice President of Scripted Programming, Brett King oversees all scripted programming for BET and straight-to-DVD projects in both comedy and drama. He also develops new scripted programming for primetime and all dayparts, and is responsible for approving writers, directors and significant creative personnel, as well as all stories, scripts, cuts and episodic budgets.

Robyn Lattaker-Johnson was promoted to Senior Vice President of Development, from her previous role as Vice President, Development. She oversees the development and day-to-day production of all reality programming for BET, and serves as a liaison with the creative community. She also takes pitches from producers and talent, packages shows, develops show formats, and oversees the series from concept to creation.

As Vice President of Talent, Audrey LaCatis Onyeike will oversee the BET Talent Department on celebrity bookings for the network's programming.

Sitarah Pendelton now serves as Vice President of Development, and is responsible for overall creative and development of the network's new and current reality programming, including SUNDAY BEST, COLLEGE HILL: INTERNS, EXALTED! and KEYSHIA COLE 2: THE WAY IT IS.

Melanie Massie has been promoted to Vice President of Talent, where she will be responsible for talent scouting for the network, and will work closely with Development on attaching talent to various scripted, reality and overall programming deals.

As Vice President of Business Operations, Shaun Williams will work closely with senior programming/production and finance management to develop long-term strategic plans. He also will be responsible for reviewing production and programming strategies and policies to ensure consistency with senior management's short- and long-term operating and business goals.

The appointments to the Entertainment division come as BET comes off a successful summer, with the launch of five new original primetime series leading BET to become this quarter's #1 television network in weeknight primetime among its target demo, Blacks 18-34, up +19% versus the #2 network (FOX).

All of the new summer primetime shows also posted gains versus the time- slots year ago performances, with BALDWIN HILLS up +36%, HELL DATE (Tuesday, 10:30 p.m.) up +18%, S.O.B. - SOCIALLY OFFENSIVE BEHAVIOR (Wednesday, 10:00 p.m.) increasing +4%, and WE GOT TO DO BETTER (Wednesday, 10:30 p.m.) with a +9% gain.

About Brett King

Before joining BET Networks, Brett King was a development consultant for the Simmons Lathan Media Group, the production company of hip hop mogul Russell Simmons. A veteran television executive, King previously served as Senior Vice President, Current Programs, at the WB Television Network, where he had creative oversight of several of the network's top dramas and comedies, including the network's number one hit, Supernatural. Before that, he was Vice President, Current Programs, for Paramount Network Television Studios, where he launched and oversaw multiple series for broadcast, cable and first-run syndication. Prior to Paramount, he worked at Twentieth Century Fox Television and Quincy Jones Entertainment, performing both development and current duties, after relocating from New York where he had been a producer on Saturday Night Live.

About Audrey LaCatis Onyeike

As a television talent executive and producer, Audrey LaCatis Onyeike has worked on a wide range of programming, including the Emmy(R) Award-winning Chris Rock Show for HBO, the Vibe Awards, Showtime At The Apollo, Martin Scorsese's Salute to the Blues, The Orlando Jones Show, The World Music Awards, The World Sports Awards, The Prince's Trust Urban Music Festival, and VH1's post-9/11 tribute, The Concert For New York. Onyeike has also produced electronic press kits for some of music's biggest names, including Stevie Wonder and The Beastie Boys, and booked dozens of corporate music concerts and events around the world. She began her career in publicity and artist development for Arista and Tommy Boy Records, and was responsible for multi- media campaigns for Whitney Houston, TLC, and Naughty By Nature, among others. Onyeike holds an M.A. in International Affairs.

About Robyn Lattaker-Johnson

Prior to her arrival at BET, Robyn Lattaker-Johnson was the Director of Development for Alternative Programming and Production at Sci Fi Channel, responsible for developing original reality-based series and other forms of non-fiction/unscripted programming. Before joining Sci Fi, Lattaker-Johnson worked in TV, film, music video, and commercial production. Some of her film credits include SPRUNG, NO TURNING BACK, VERY MEAN MEN, DUTY DATING, TEQUILA BODY SHOTS, and MY BROTHER JACK. She holds a master's degree in film from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, Calif., and earned a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Washington.

About Melanie Massie

Melanie Massie has been a part of BET Networks since 1992 and was most recently Director of Talent. In this role, she was responsible for securing music, film and television talent for BET Networks' daily and weekly shows and specials, including 106 & PARK, ACCESS GRANTED and CELEBRATION OF GOSPEL. From 1995 to 2004, Massie also served as President and CEO of MELMASS MEDIA, an independent consulting firm which focused on booking talent for major events, including celebrity basketball games and football games. In 2002, she was named to Honey Magazine's list of "25 Women Making It Happen."

About Sitarah Pendelton

Prior to BET Networks, Sitarah Pendelton served as Senior Vice President, Development & Production, for TV One from 2004 to 2006. Before that, she was a writer/producer with MTV: Music television from 2000 to 2004.

About Shaun Williams

Shaun Williams previously served as Vice President of Finance at 20th Century Fox, where he was primarily responsible financial management and strategic planning for the domestic Home Entertainment group. Prior to that, he was Director of Finance at Creative Planet, an Internet start-up that provided management and procurement solutions for the entertainment industry. Before that, Williams worked for Scott Free Films, PricewaterhouseCoopers' Entertainment & Media Practice and Sony Pictures Entertainment. He holds an MBA from the University of California Los Angeles and an undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin.

About BET Networks

BET Networks, a division of Viacom Inc. (NYSE:VIA) (NYSE:VIA.B) , is the nation's leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel reaches more than 85 million households according to Nielsen Media Research, and can be seen in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of businesses extensions: BET.com, a leading internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news.; BET Digital Networks - BET J, BET Gospel and BET Hip Hop, attractive alternatives for cutting-edge entertainment tastes; BET Event Productions, a full-scale event management and production company; BET Home Entertainment, a collection of BET-branded offerings for the home environment including DVDs and video-on-demand; BET Mobile, a service venture into the lucrative world of ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, an extension of BET network programming for global distribution.

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Source: BET Networks

CONTACT: Zabrina Horton, +1-310-481-3737,
zabrina.horton@bet.net, or Bernadette Simpao, +1-212-846-6722,
bernadette.simpao@bet.net, both of BET Networks

Web site: http://www.bet.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment