Wahlburgers prodco staffs up

44 Blue Productions, the company behind A&E unscripted series Wahlburgers, has hired a pair of development executives and promoted another.

Alison Dammann and Willis Robertson are the new hires, with Julie Merson upped.

Dammann joins having previously worked in development at Relativity Media, whose TV division this week spun out of the financially-challenged company under new management.

Robertson joins after six years with Banijay Group-owned Bunim/Murray Productions, where he was manager of development working on shows such as truTV’s Motor City Masters.

Merson, meanwhile, who joined from Endemol Shine North America’s Original Media, has been promoted to VP, development. She will work with Dammann and Robertson, who have been named directors of development.

44 Blue currently has 20 projects in production, including the Emmy-nominated Wahlburgers, the upcoming Whoopi Goldberg show According to Alex for Centric, and Rock and a Hard Place, which is from Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and Dany Garcia’s Seven Bucks Productions.

“This group is a collection of dynamic, creative thinkers who represent a wide range of experience across docureality, formats, comedy and branded content,” said Stephanie Noonan Drachkovitch, co-founder and president of 44 Blue.