Ex-HBO Boss and Apple Producer Richard Plepler Looks To Hire Vice News Chief
January 31 2020 - 3:22PM
Dow Jones News
By Benjamin Mullin and Joe Flint
Former HBO boss Richard Plepler is seeking to recruit Vice Media
veteran Josh Tyrangiel to his new production company, Eden
Productions, people familiar with the situation said, a move that
would add an executive with news experience as his outfit prepares
to make shows for Apple Inc.
Mr. Tyrangiel's role would include helping build the documentary
wing of Eden Productions, which Mr. Plepler founded last year after
stepping down as chief executive of AT&T Inc.'s HBO, the people
said.
New York-based Eden Productions said earlier this year that it
signed a five-year deal to produce content exclusively for Apple
TV+, Apple's new streaming service.
Mr. Plepler and Mr. Tyrangiel haven't reached an agreement and
talks could break down. The production portfolio of Eden
Productions hasn't yet been fully defined, and it is possible Mr.
Tyrangiel's role could change if he is hired, one of the people
said.
Apple declined to comment.
Mr. Tyrangiel is a media veteran whose résumé includes awards
for his work in print, digital and TV news. Until last year, he was
the executive producer of "Vice News Tonight," a half-hour daily
newscast produced by Vice Media LLC for HBO. In September, Vice
Media said that "Vice News Tonight" won 10 Emmys and garnered 33
nominations during its nearly four-year run.
HBO canceled "Vice News Tonight" last year. Vice Media is
putting a version of the show on Viceland, a network it jointly
owns with A&E Networks.
Mr. Plepler left HBO last year after a long career at the cable
network, including a six-year stint in the top job. He played a
major role in such programming successes as the shows "Game of
Thrones" and "Veep." On his watch, HBO launched its foray into
direct-to-consumer streaming. As a key producer for Apple, he will
be competing against a raft of streaming services, including
Netflix Inc., Amazon.com Inc., Walt Disney Co.'s Disney+ and
AT&T's forthcoming HBO Max, among others.
Apple TV+ -- which costs $4.99 a month, but comes free for a
year with new Apple devices -- has a slim roster of programming
compared to its rivals. It has focused on high end, pricey
productions thus far. Its first batch of shows includes "The
Morning Show," starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, and
space drama "For All Mankind."
Apple hired industry veteran Molly Thompson last year as head of
documentaries. The company's early programming plans include
several documentaries such as "The Elephant Queen," about an
elephant leading her herd across Africa, and "Visible: Out on
Television," a five-part series that delves into the history of the
LGBTQ movement through TV.
Mr. Tyrangiel had a high-profile brush with Apple Chief
Executive Tim Cook earlier in his career. Mr. Cook announced he was
gay in a first-person essay written for Bloomberg Businessweek, a
story he pitched to Mr. Tyrangiel in 2014 when he was the top
editor of that publication. Before joining Bloomberg LP, Mr.
Tyrangiel was deputy managing editor of Time magazine.
Tripp Mickle contributed to this article.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
January 31, 2020 15:07 ET (20:07 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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