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JEFF WACHTEL
Executive Vice President, Original Programming
USA Network
Veteran television executive and executive producer Jeff Wachtel is USA Network’s executive vice president, original programming. Based in Los Angeles, Wachtel oversees all original programming, including scripted series, reality/alternative, original movies and miniseries. He reports to Bonnie Hammer, president, USA Network and SCI FI Channel.
In 1999, Wachtel joined Landscape Television, a television and film production company founded by Robert Cooper, where he served as president of the company’s new media division. He went on to become head of television series and also developed a number of longform television projects for Landscape, including “The Olympic Scandal” project for FX, “The New New Thing” for NBC, a TV movie for VH1 and a three-hour special for CBS.
Prior to Landscape, Wachtel served as president of Alliance Atlantis Television, U.S., supervising all series and longform programming for Canada’s leading program supplier. In 1997, he was the executive producer of the first-run syndicated series “Pensacola: Wings of Gold.” Wachtel created the show while president of 3 Arts Television, a production company that partnered with CBS, Sony and 3 Arts Management. He served as president of 3 Arts Television from 1996 to 1997.
From 1990 to 1996, Wachtel was at Columbia Pictures Television, where he began as vice president of movies and miniseries. While there, the executive developed and supervised such projects as “Switched at Birth” and “Christmas on Division Street.” Wachtel rose to executive vice president of primetime television and served in that capacity from 1993 to 1996. “Party of Five,” “Dawson's Creek,” “Birdland” and “Dark Skies” were among the series he developed.
Before arriving at Columbia Pictures Television, Wachtel was senior vice president, movies and miniseries at Orion Television (“Equal Justice”) from 1987 to 1990. He was previously vice president, development, at Robert Cooper Productions (“Murderers Among Us: The Simon Wiesenthal Story,” “Dead Man Out”) from 1984 to 1987.
Wachtel began his career as a theatre director and producer, and produced the first New York productions of David Mamet’s plays Sexual Perversity in Chicago and Duck Variations.
A graduate of Yale University, Wachtel is a founding member of L.A. Works, a community-based volunteer organization, a board member of the Zimmer Children’s Museum and is a past member of the board of directors of the Hollywood Radio and Television Society.
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