New York – A+E Networks’ 15-year veteran programmer Robert Sharenow has been appointed as Executive Vice President & General Manager of A&E and Lifetime. Previously, Sharenow had been Executive Vice President & GM of Lifetime since June 2013. Sharenow will report to Paul Buccieri, President, A&E and HISTORY for A&E; and continue to report to Nancy Dubuc, President & CEO, A+E Networks, in regard to Lifetime. The announcement was made by Buccieri and is effective immediately.
In his new role, Sharenow will now oversee all content creation, brand development and marketing for both network groups.
“After 10 years of tremendous growth – we have a renewed focus on re-establishing A&E as a top tier brand,” said Buccieri. “Rob is the ideal candidate for the job. Before his tenure at Lifetime, Rob was instrumental in the success of A&E for nearly a decade. He was a key member of A&E’s leadership team that developed some of the network’s biggest hit franchises. Under Rob’s leadership at Lifetime, the brand is undergoing revitalisation with a record number of Emmy nominations and returning series. Rob is a great leader with the right balance of creative acumen and strategic vision, essential for today’s changing landscape.”
Sharenow joined Lifetime in March 2011 as its Executive Vice President of Programming. Under Sharenow’s stewardship, Lifetime’s scripted programs include the hit drama Devious Maids, from executive producers Marc Cherry and Eva Longoria; as well as Lifetime’s reality slate including the Emmy® Award-nominated series Project Runway® and the hit series Dance Moms®, Bring It! and Little Women: LA®.
Lifetime is the number one basic cable network for original movies. Last year alone, Lifetime had 6 of the top 10 original movies in ad-supported cable including; Flowers in the Attic; Aaliyah: Princesses of R&B, Lizzie Borden Took an Ax; Petals on the Wind; The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story and The Gabby Douglas Story.
Prior to joining Lifetime, Sharenow was Senior Vice President of Non-Fiction & Alternative Programming at A&E Network, where he was responsible for supervising the development and creation of all of A&E’s nonfiction programming, including its signature real-life series, justice franchises, critically acclaimed documentary series, A&E IndieFilms®, lifestyle programming and marquee specials.
During his tenure at A&E, he developed and/or served as executive producer on several critically acclaimed and hit real-life series including Intervention®, Storage Wars®, Hoarders™, Beyond Scared Straight, Dog the Bounty Hunter®, Criss Angel® Mindfreak®, Gene Simmons Family Jewels™ and Growing Up Gotti. Under his leadership, A&E IndieFilms produced and released several theatrical documentary features, including The September Issue, The Tillman Story and Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer.
Before joining A&E, Sharenow served as executive producer of HISTORY’s award-winning weekly series, This Week in History. While there, he also co-created and launched the series Extreme History with Roger Daltrey. In addition, he served as senior producer of a special commemorating the anniversary of 9/11, Relics From the Rubble. His other television writing credits include Michael Moore’s Emmy® Award-winning TV Nation and the Emmy-winning children’s series Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego? His first novel, My Mother the Cheerleader, was named one of the “Best Books of the Year” by the American Library Association, School Library Journal and the New York Public Library. His second novel, The Berlin Boxing Club, won the Sydney Taylor Book Award and was a finalist for the Walden Award. He is currently working on his third book for Harper Collins.
Sharenow is a graduate of Brandeis University. He received his Masters degree from New York University, where he held a fellowship in the American Studies department.
