PBS announced the hiring of Geoff Daniels as Vice President, Programming & Development. According to the network, Daniels will lead the development and execution of PBS’s programming strategy focused on science, natural history, history, and arts genres.
“I couldn’t be more excited to join such an exceptional team who are building on PBS’s legacy of innovative programming and its inspiring mission to serve the public good,” Daniels said in a statement announcing the move. “We will deliver the bold stories with the power to bring audiences together and impact our culture for the better in ways that few other media organizations can."
Daniels began his career in new product development at Time-Life Video & Television, where he played a key role in building TLV into one of the world's leading home video distributors through the acquisition and marketing of Sir David Attenborough's Trials of Life and Ken Burns' The Civil War and in co-production with the BBC on the award-winning children's series Growing Up Wild.
Daniels previously served as Executive Vice President of Global Unscripted Entertainment for National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo Wild, and Nat Geo on Disney +, managing all original content and commissioning many of the network’s most popular and award-winning series like Chris Hemsworth’s Limitless, Secrets of the Whales, and The World According to Jeff Goldblum. In 2010, Daniels launched Nat Geo WILD, leading its rapid growth with events such as Big Cat Week and SharkFest.
Daniels was also EVP of Unscripted Entertainment for the London-based production company, Nutopia, overseeing programming and marketing while expanding factual formats and executive producing series, including 7 Toughest Days with Dwyane Fields, Rewind the 90s, and Shark Beach.
Daniels was most recently the executive director for Jackson Wild, the world’s preeminent natural history and conservation media organization, where he led year-round programming while shaping vision and strategy.
“We are thrilled to welcome Geoff to PBS. He has a passion for finding stories that truly illuminate the world around us, and his expertise will help bring new productions to every platform where viewers seek out PBS content. Geoff’s leadership ensures that we will continue to engage audiences in a way that inspires wonder while reflecting a variety of lived experiences,” said Sylvia Bugg, Chief Programming Executive and General Manager, General Audience Programming at PBS.
