20th Television has hired Jillian Longnecker as executive vice president of production and Brendan Countee as head of comedy development.
In their new roles at 20th TV, which is part of Disney Television Studios, Longnecker will report to Carol Turner, head of Production for Disney Entertainment Television, while Countee will report to Carolyn Cassidy, executive vice president of development at 20th TV.
“I’ve admired the undeniable slate of television and the deep bench of talent at 20th Television for a long time, and I could not be more grateful for the opportunity to join Carol and her top-notch team,” Longnecker said. “I’m incredibly proud of my former team and all that we accomplished together, and look forward to my next chapter in television with the excellent group of executives at the studio.”
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Longnecker will oversee all physical production for 20th Television’s slate of drama, comedy and limited series. Countee will lead the comedy development team, including working with those under overall deals at the studio as well as identifying writers and handling projects from pitch to series order.
“This feels like an incredible homecoming of sorts, having sold my first script to 20th at the start of my career, and it’s thrilling to come to a place that values artists and their visions,” Countee said. “The opportunity to work alongside Carolyn and the exceptional team at the studio, while developing the next wave of acclaimed comedies, is the epitome of a dream job.”
Longnecker was most recently senior director of production of original series for Netflix. In her time at the streaming giant, she worked on shows like “The Diplomat,” “Ginny & Georgia,” “The Lincoln Lawyer,” and “Virgin River.” Prior to that, she was president of physical production for features and TV for Annapurna Pictures, where she was an executive producer on films such as “If Beale Street Could Talk,” “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs,” “Where’d You Go, Bernadette,” and “Booksmart.”
“Jillian is a talented and innovative executive with deep experience in managing complex productions, known for her strategic and collaborative spirit, supporting showrunners and production teams to bring storytelling to life on the screen,” said Turner. “We are thrilled to welcome her to the studio team, where our shows will undoubtedly benefit from her leadership and expertise.”
Countee was formerly senior vice president of programming at Showtime, where he worked on shows like “The Chi,” “The Curse,” “Kidding,” “Our Cartoon President,” “Desus & Mero,” and “Ziwe.” He also served on Paramount’s BEAT+ (Black Executives Achieving Together) team and was part of the company’s DEI council. Prior to Showtime, Countee started comedy development at Hulu in 2011, overseeing the development of shows like “Casual,” “Difficult People,” and “The Mindy Project.”
“Brendan has an expansive track record in bringing smart, funny and unexpected programming from top talent to fruition, and possesses a unique eye for comedy,” said Cassidy. “His extensive relationships in television coupled with his passion for hilarious storytelling make him a perfect fit to lead the comedy team at our studio.”
