ABC Studios Head of Alternative Fernando Hernandez Exits

Nellie Andreeva

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Fernando Hernandez, head of ABC Studios’ alternative division, is leaving the studio. The exit comes two months after Jonnie Davis came on board as new ABC Studios president.

Davis’ predecessor, Patrick Moran, launched an alternative division almost two years ago, led by Hernandez, former head of Universal TV Alternative Studios and EVP of Development and Production at Ryan Seacrest Prods.

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Since then, Hernandez had been building a development slate of projects set up at networks within and outside of the Disney/ABC family. The studio has three upcoming unscripted series for Disney+, Ink & Paint, a docu series which takes a look at the women who made many of the Disney animated classics possible with little or no recognition for their work; Prop Culture, which tells stores related to the props used in Disney blockbuster films; and Pick of the Litter, based on the film of the same name, which follows a litter of puppies on a quest to become guide dogs for the blind.

While Hernandez is out, ABC Studios plans to remain in the unscripted business, sources said.

Prior to joining ABC Studios, Cuban-born Hernandez was head of Universal Television Alternative Studios, which he launched and ran from 2012 – 2016. During his tenure, Fernando and his team created and developed World of Dance. Other productions for NBC included the Emmy-winning Hollywood Game Night, Better Late Than Never, starring Henry Winkler, William Shatner, Terry Bradshaw and George Foreman; I Can Do That, Last Comic Standing, and Food Fighters.

Prior to that, Hernandez, whose departure from ABC Studios was first reported by THR, was EVP of Development and Production at Ryan Seacrest Prods. He was responsible for the development and production of such non-scripted series as Shahs of Sunset for Bravo and Married to Jonas for E!

He also spent a decade as executive producer on projects such as TV Land’s She’s Got The Look, ABC Family’s Venus & Serena: For Real, and MTV’s Til Death Do Us Part: Carmen & Dave; Becoming, as well as projects for VH1, TLC and MTV International.

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