Banijay-owned Stephen David Entertainment hires WBD factual exec Howard Swartz

Howard Swartz

Stephen David Entertainment, the Banijay Americas-owned studio behind The Men Who Built America, has appointed Warner Bros. Discovery factual exec Howard Swartz as EVP of development.

In this newly created position, Swartz will play “an integral role” in the development, growth, and diversification of the company’s slate of documentary, non-fiction, series, and specials.

Founded by its eponymous CEO Stephen David in 2010, the New York-based company is also behind titles such as The Titans Who Built America, American Playboy and Roman Empire: Reign of Blood.

Swartz joins the company after serving as SVP of documentaries & specials for Warner Bros. Discovery’s factual networks and streaming. In that role, he oversaw the strategy and execution of the company’s core content, including docuseries Viagra: The Little Blue Pill That Changed The World, Trump family doc Unprecedented and anthology strand Undiscovered.

He also oversaw more than 100 hours of the annual pop culture event Shark Week in addition to the company’s natural history slate, which included the docuseries Serengeti.

Prior to Warner Bros. Discovery, Swartz was Arrow Media’s EVP of development and production, based out of their London office. Previously, he served as VP of documentaries and specials for Discovery Channel, overseeing specials including Skywire Live with Nik Wallenda.

“I have long admired Howard Swartz’s work, and I’m thrilled that he will be bringing his extraordinary vision and expertise to Stephen David Entertainment,” said David. “His proven track record of creating high-profile global specials and event series across a variety of genres makes him the ideal partner as we continue to elevate our programming slate and expand into new categories.”