Rod Aissa, the current Executive Vice President of Entertainment Unscripted Content, is leaving NBCUniversal after 11 years. Rachel Smith will be taking over Aissa’s role on an interim basis. In her new role, Smith will lead the unscripted lifestyle and docuseries group, working alongside Corie Henson, who oversees competition and game shows.
Aissa’s Accomplishments
During his tenure at NBCUniversal, Aissa was responsible for overseeing all unscripted lifestyle and documentary programming across NBCU’s broadcast, cable and streaming platforms. This includes NBC, Bravo, E!, Oxygen True Crime, SyFy, Universal Kids, USA Network and Peacock. Aissa is credited with rebranding networks, pivoting to streaming, and elevating the true crime genre.
Aissa was also responsible for managing the development and production of Oxygen’s original true-crime programming and shepherding E!’s production slate. Before joining Oxygen, Aissa was on the launch team at OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network where he oversaw programming and development. Prior to that, he was EVP of TV at Katalyst Films, where he was responsible for developing cable and broadcast properties.
Aissa’s Memo
In a memo sent to staff, Aissa expressed his pride in the team’s accomplishments during his time at NBCUniversal. He is confident that the best team is in place to continue reaching new heights and expanding on the many successes they have achieved. Aissa looks forward to keeping in touch and seeing what else the team will achieve in the future.
Leadership Changes in the Industry
Aissa’s departure is the latest in a string of leadership changes in the entertainment industry. As the industry continues to evolve with the growth of streaming platforms, new leaders are needed to navigate these changes. It remains to be seen who will take on Aissa’s role permanently, but NBCUniversal has a strong leadership team in place to continue driving success.