WarnerMedia merges HBO & HBO Max production teams, with Sandra Dewey departing

Sandra Dewey

WarnerMedia has combined its HBO and HBO Max teams across production and business affairs, with execs including Sandra Dewey among those to depart.

Dewey was most recently president of business operations & production at streamer HBO Max and sibling cablenets TBS, TNT and truTV, but will leave alongside VP of business affairs Pat Kelly.

Kelly had been with Warner for almost two decades and worked across originals and co-productions, while Dewey had been with the company for more than 20 years and had been instrumental in launching HBO Max.

The rejig will see Janet Graham Borba promoted to EVP of production and Susanna Felleman named EVP of business affairs, with both now taking on remits across the streamer and its premium cable sibling.

Borba, who has been with the company for more thank 25 years, most recently led production for HBO and has worked on numerous hits including Game Of Thrones, while fellow veteran Felleman took her most recent role in charge of business affairs for the cabler in 2016.

WarnerMedia has been in a state of flux over the last year as it reorganises its teams to focus on streamer HBO Max, with several waves of layoffs under CEO Jason Kilar.

Glenn Whitehead, president of business affairs & production at HBO and HBO Max, said: “As HBO Max moves toward the same in-house production model that’s been the heart of the HBO programming line-up for the past many years, it’s become clear that we need greater consistency across the business and production practices of HBO and HBO Max.

“I’ve worked with Janet and Susanna for many years and know that they’ll be brilliant at leading these combined teams as we continue to program HBO and HBO Max with premier original content and harness the combined mastery of these production and business affairs teams to build out the HBO Max streaming service.”

Whitehead added that Dewey and Felleman had “both made invaluable contributions to the company throughout their tenures, and we owe them a huge debt of gratitude.” Their next moves are not yet known.