Fox
EXCLUSIVE: Senior vice president of development Ted Gold was among the roughly 30 positions eliminated in a wave of layoffs implemented by Fox Entertainment yesterday.
The former Spike senior vice president was one of several executives brought in by Michael Thorn last year to head scripted development and production at Fox Entertainment Studios, the network’s in-house production division.
In March of this year, Fox Entertainment CEO Rob Wade announced that the company would reorganize its content and business operations into three groups: Fox Television Networks, Fox Entertainment Studios and sales division Fox Entertainment Global.
Thorne, who had overseen scripted programming across the network and studios, became president of Fox Television Networks, leading both scripted and unscripted programming, while Fox Entertainment’s worldwide studio operations, including Fox’s scripted studios, were consolidated under Fernando Szeu, who became head of Fox Entertainment Studios.
Gold is believed to be the only remaining senior programming executive from the group Thorne hired at the studio, and under the new structure, his role is no longer necessary as Szew already has an executive team in place.
While the cuts are understandable as media companies grapple with a sluggish advertising market, fragmenting audiences and shareholder pressure, the steady stream of layoffs is taking a toll on veteran executives, upending their lives and careers.
Gold has been in the industry for decades. Prior to returning to Fox, he spent six years as SVP of Scripted Programming at Spike TV, the predecessor to Paramount Network, where he helped develop Yellowstone and Waco. In his first stint as SVP of Series Development at Fox, he developed Prison Break and Bones.
His extensive resume also includes serving as President of Television for Parks McDonald under an overall deal with NBCUniversal, Head of Television for Deuce Three Productions/CBS TV Studios, Senior Vice President of Series Development for Spelling Television, Vice President of Creative for Alliance/Atlantis and Director of Development for Drama and Feature Programming for New World Entertainment.