Spend an hour with Brett Weitz, Head of Development for TBS in Burbank, Califronia.
As Executive Vice President of Original Programming for TBS, Brett Weitz has continued to show that TBS is the destination comedy network to watch. For the past two years he has spearheaded the new direction of the network into younger and more relevant comedy while also moving towards a bolder, more diverse, and millennial voice. After changing the direction of TBS with comedies like Angie Tribeca from Steve & Nancy Carell, The Detour from Jason Jones & Samantha Bee, Wrecked from Justin & Jordan Shipley, Weitz ended 2016 with two of cable's top comedies and pushed the network to be one of the industries top networks of the year. Of these notable successes is Greg Daniels’ People of Earth and the critically acclaimed hit Search Party, from the undeniably talented creators Sarah Violet Bliss & Charles Rogers along with the incomparable hitmaker Michael Showalter.
In 2017, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee will enter its second season in TBS’ Late Night line-up, continuing to be the voice of a generation, bringing only the sharpest and most satirical take on the news of the week. Animation will be another force behind the TBS rebrand with the launch of JG Quintel's Close Enough, digital favorite Olan Rogers’ Final Space, and the charming Carson Mell's Tarantula. Weitz will keep Originals at the forefront of the new TBS, with Greg Garcia's new anthology Guest Book and the highly anticipated return of the great comedic genius Tracy Morgan.
During his previous position as SVP of Scripted Development for TNT & TBS, Weitz developed the dramas The Last Ship from Michael Bay and Legends from Howard Gordon. Since joining Turner in 2008 , Brett helped launch numerous other hit series including Dallas, Perception, Rizzoli & Isles, Franklin & Bash, and Steven Spielberg's Falling Skies, as well as the unscripted competition series The Great Escape and Boston's Finest.
He had also taken charge and launched the network's diversity program for series staffing where that continues to be top of mind. Brett got his start in the mailroom at United Talent Agency and later spent time assisting at Columbia Tri-Star Television before rising to become an executive at Michael Ovitz's Artists Television Group. After several years at ATG, Brett tried his hand as a Manager at Artists Management Group where he represented television writers and directors. Weitz returned to his true passion of development when he rejoined Columbia Tri-Star Television as Director of Drama Development under department head Jennifer Salke. There they developed The WB's Everwood and CBS' Hack. In 2001, the pair migrated to 20th Century Fox Television and Weitz developed Fox's long-running Prison Break and the critically-acclaimed Wonderfalls. In 2003, when 20th Century Fox Television launched its lower-budget division fox21 they tapped Weitz as the No. 2 executive to lead the low-cost initiative in the ever evolving studio system. In its first three years of operation, fox21 developed such series as the FX drama SONS OF ANARCHY, the reality hit Beauty and the Geek, and the comedy Freeride. Also while at fox21, Weitz developed the drama Saved for TNT.
Because of their great working experience, the quickly-growing network approached him to lead their expanding drama division. In 2006 Brett was recognized by the entertainment industry and The Hollywood Reporter as one of "35 Executives Under 35 To Watch". Most recently, Weitz was deemed one of "The Gate Keepers of Comedy" by Vulture Magazine and was honored by Multichannel News as one of the "Top 40 Executives Under 40".
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Weitz's passions include fishing, wine, and most importantly celebrating life with his beautiful family, including his wife Farrah and their two amazing daughters Sydney and Emerson.