Telepictures exec VP of programming and development David McGuire, one of the architects behind the success of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” is exiting the Warner Bros. TV Group division after more than 30 years with the company. McGuire’s exit comes following the departure of Warner Bros. Unscripted TV president Mike Darnell, and a restructuring inside the company.
As part of the changes, Telepictures current programming senior VP Lauren Blincoe will now solely oversee the division and report directly to Warner Bros. TV Group chairman and CEO Channing Dungey.
McGuire most recently was in charge of the launch of “The Jennifer Hudson Show.” His oversight included all aspects of creative affairs for first-run syndicated series, unscripted series and digital content developed and produced at Telepictures, as well as working with advertisers on partnerships through its integration business. Annually, Telepictures handles more than 1,000 hours of TV across multiple genres.
“David is an institution in this business, a huge part of the great success Telepictures has built over the years,” Dungey said in a statement. “He has been a tremendous colleague and a great friend to so many. We wish him nothing but the best and can only thank him profusely for his 33 years of brilliant service to the company.”
At Telepictures, McGuire handled programs such as “Extra,” “Judge Mathis,” “The People’s Court,” “The Real” and “TMZ.” With DeGeneres, he helped build “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” into a long-running franchise that included program spin-offs that included NBC’s “Family Game Fight,” HBO Max’s “Ellen’s Next Great Designer,” NBC’s “Ellen’s Game of Games” and HBO Max’s animated “Little Ellen.”
That relationship also included overseeing Ellen Digital Ventures, which created more than 60 original series, such as “Lady Parts with Sarah Hyland” and “Momsplaining with Kristen Bell.”
McGuire first joined Telepictures in 1990 as a production assistant on “Jenny Jones.”
“I’ve loved my time here at Telepictures and will treasure the memories of all the successes we built here together,” McGuire said. “It’s an incredible team, and I know they’ll continue to flourish as they take on the many challenges and opportunities being posed by our always-changing business.”
