ABC Family Names Kary McHoul As Senior Vice President

ABC Family has named Kary McHoul senior vice president of programming and development for the network’s unscripted division, the network said Thursday.

McHoul, who most recently served as a consultant for new media company pioneers but is best known for creating Nigel Lythgoe Productions –- the company behind American Idol -– will oversee unscripted development for the millennial-targeted network. McHoul also served an an exeuctive at Fox and E!.

“Kary is simply the best in the business. She has an incredible track record of creating, packaging and launching hit shows across genres and platforms. She knows how to capture an audience, and we are honored that she has chosen to lead our charge into unscripted series programming. I had the pleasure of working with Kary during her tenure at FOX, and am thrilled to be reunited with her here at ABC Family,” said Karey Burke, Executive Vice President, Programming and Development for ABC Family.

R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.