ABC News senior VP of talent strategy, development and research Amy Entelis is leaving the company t0 join Sucherman Consulting Group. At Sucherman Entelis will serve as executive VP of talent strategy starting in May.
“Amy has found and groomed some of the best anchors, correspondents and producers in television news,” said ABC News president Ben Sherwood in an email to staff. “The result of Amy’s eye and efforts can be seen in the daily quality of our broadcasts. Around the clock, our audience benefits from the work of a remarkable group of journalists.”
Sherwood is expected to name Entelis’ replacement in the coming weeks.
TVNewser hears that among the names being considered is Barbara Fedida, who had served as the top talent executive for CBS News since 2006, before leaving when new management took over in February of this year.
Sherwood’s note, and the announcement from Sucherman, are after the jump.
From Ben Sherwood:
From: Sherwood, Ben
Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2011 6:09 PM
To: #ABCTV News ALL
Cc: Sweeney, Anne X.
Subject: Amy EntelisI am writing with news about our colleague Amy Entelis.
When I arrived in December, Amy told me that she had been thinking over the past year about leaving ABC News and was considering several options. More recently, she let me know that she has accepted a new position and will depart in mid-April.
As we all know, Amy has been a major presence in the life and work of ABC News for more than 30 years. She spent her first five years at the network as a producer for 20/20 and World News Tonight with Peter Jennings. She then began to create a pioneering system in network news – the first of its kind – to coordinate the identification, recruitment and development of on-air talent.
Amy has found and groomed some of the best anchors, correspondents and producers in television news. The result of Amy’s eye and efforts can be seen in the daily quality of our broadcasts. Around the clock, our audience benefits from the work of a remarkable group of journalists.
On a personal note, I have known Amy since 1989. Long ago, she guided my earliest days and decisions at ABC News and she continues to offer wise, insightful advice on all aspects of our work.
In May, Amy will join a media consulting company where she will advise news and entertainment clients on talent and strategy. In this new role, she will consult with ABC News on key projects that we have begun together.
I want to thank Amy for her many contributions to ABC News and wish her much success.
From Sucherman:
ENTELIS JOINS SUCHERMAN CONSULTING GROUP
Industry Veteran Joins Leading Management Consulting and Executive Search FirmNew York – (March 2011) – Sucherman Consulting Group Inc., the premier management consulting and executive search firm for the media and entertainment industries, today announced that media industry veteran, Amy Entelis, has joined the senior management team as Executive Vice President, Talent Strategy, effective May 2011. Entelis will leverage her expertise as a premiere manager of broadcasting talent (on-air and behind the scenes) to open new lines of business for SCG. She will also support consulting and search projects for the firm in addition to her activities cultivating new business development. Entelis has extensive experience as a television executive and brings a new dimension to SCG’s already extensive media consulting business.
“I’ve known Amy for many years,” says Stuart F. Sucherman, founder and CEO of SCG. “She has been involved in so many aspects of the media business and has personally identified and cultivated some of the very best reporters, anchors and producers in the industry today. She will be a valuable partner to any client fortunate enough to work with her and will be a big addition to our growing and prospering firm.”
This announcement comes a year after television and new media executive, Erik Sorenson, joined the firm to expand the consulting practice and service offerings to new and existing clients. Also in the past year, Michael Diegnan joined the firm’s Executive Search team working closely with Matthew Wagner, EVP of the firm’s search practice. These recent appointments have elevated the firm’s portfolio and driven SCG’s expertise further into new areas of media, entertainment and digital platforms, forging a triangulation of expertise to advise clients holistically through the changing dynamics of consumer behavior and media consumption.
Entelis has served in a number of capacities for ABC News since 1979. She has been a leader with the news division’s talent recruitment department for the past 25 years and cultivated reporters and anchors for the company since 1986. ABC News is a division of the Disney Corporation.
“Amy has recruited and managed talent for some of television’s most iconic programs, including ‘Good Morning America,’ ‘20/20’ and ‘Nightline’,” says Erik Sorenson, EVP at Sucherman Consulting Group. “I’m looking forward to working with her to develop new products and services for our clients.”
Entelis will be based in SCG’s Manhattan headquarters and will assist Sucherman and Sorenson with ongoing clients in addition to her development activities. Entelis will also work closely with SCG’s Executive Search arm on high-end executive placement.
“I have known and worked with Stuart for many years and have the highest regard for his judgment and insights,” says Entelis. “I am also pleased to have the opportunity to work alongside Erik Sorenson and the rest of the terrific team at SCG.”
Amy Entelis most recently served as Senior Vice President, Talent Strategy, Development and Research, ABC News. In this position Entelis was responsible for developing and executing the News division’s strategic planning for the next generation of both on-air and off-air talent.
In addition to hiring, developing and placing all anchors and correspondents for ABC News programs and bureaus worldwide, Entelis oversaw all editorial recruiting, hiring and growth and development opportunities to ensure that the best people are hired and moving forward in the organization.
Previously, Ms. Entelis was Senior Vice President, Talent Recruitment and Business Affairs, in charge of all recruiting and hiring and supervising all talent negotiations. From 1990 to 1998 she was Vice President, Talent Recruitment and Development, for ABC News. Prior to this, from 1986 to 1990, she was Director, Talent Recruitment and Development. In management, Entelis became the first executive at ABC News charged with developing a system of analyzing and tracking talent, and did so with a mandate to develop female and minority talent.
She began her ABC News career on the weekly news magazine broadcast “20/20.” She then spent five years as a producer for “World News Tonight with Peter Jennings,” primarily covering economics. She received several journalism honors for her work at “World News Tonight,” including a National News Emmy and a duPont-Columbia Award in 1984 for her participation in a series on U.S. – Soviet relations.
Ms. Entelis also received a Planned Parenthood Award for her work on teenage pregnancy, an award from Women in Communications for a series on child abuse, and a Front Page Award from the Newswomen’s Club of New York for Distinguished Journalism.
A graduate of Vassar College, Ms. Entelis received her Master’s in journalism from Columbia University, and she serves as a member of the Board of Visitors of the Columbia School of Journalism. She resides in Westchester County with her husband.
About Sucherman Consulting Group, Inc.
Sucherman Consulting Group, Inc., with offices in New York and Los Angeles, is a management consulting and executive search firm that specializes in working with a wide range of media and entertainment companies. These include cable and broadcast television networks, motion picture and television studios, broadcast stations and station groups, online media organizations, publishers and their parent companies. The firm’s primary focus is to work with the creative elements of these organizations in helping create business and programming strategies, re-designing organizational structures, decision-making processes, managing and recruiting key executives.Sucherman’s consulting clients include NBC Universal – NBC Network, CNBC & Telemundo, Disney – ABC News & ESPN, Discovery Channel Networks, Viacom – Showtime & MTV Networks, the New York Mets, and the New York Jets. Sucherman has placed executives at ABC, A&E, CNN, CNBC, Comedy Central, Endemol, Food Network, Fuse, Fox, Game Show Network, MTV, NBC, Nickelodeon, Showtime, Sundance, Telemundo, Tennis Channel, VH1, Viacom, the New York Mets, New York Jets and others. (http://www.sucherman.com/)