Sony Pictures Television executive Devon Hammonds has been promoted to head of nonfiction following the exits earlier this year of former unscripted heads Eli Holzman and Aaron Saidman.
Hammonds, formerly an evp of business development and strategy, will oversee the studio’s documentary and reality projects in the role as well as other formats like the talk show Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen and the competition show On Brand With Jimmy Fallon.
Hammonds’ promotion arrives after a restructuring of Sony Pictures Television’s nonfiction division following the departures of Holzman and Saidman. Earlier this year the division was put under the purview of Sony Pictures Television Studios president Katherine Pope. The company’s game show division remains separately managed under Suzanne Prete.
In her new role Hammonds will oversee Sony Pictures Television’s vast nonfiction portfolio, covering 90 Day Fiancé producer Sharp Entertainment and American Idol producer 19 Entertainment as well as celebrity-focused company B17 (Extracted, History of Swear Words).
Her purview will also encompass polished documentary production companies like R.J. Cutler’s shingle This Machine, the go-to celebrity bio specialist behind Martha and Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry, and Mary Robertson’s Maxine Productions, which focuses on pop culture investigations like The Fall of Diddy.
In May, Sony Pictures Television acquired a majority stake in 32 Flavors, the production company behind reality heavyweights Vanderpump Rules and The Valley.
Hammonds previously managed operations of the nonfiction division in addition to other responsibilities in business growth and strategy both in the U.S. and internationally. Prior to Sony, Hammonds worked under Saidman and Holzman as svp, development and current Programming – East Coast at Industrial Media, which was acquired in 2022 by Sony.
Earlier in her career, Hammonds worked at A&E as its vice president of development and programming with oversight of Leah Remini: Scientology & the Aftermath and Wahlburgers, among other titles. She has won two Emmy awards and been nominated five times.
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