Turner Taps David Eilenberg as Unscripted Development SVP at TBS, TNT

Adding weight to the networks' current mission to beef up reality programming, TNT and TBS have named Mark Burnett Productions veteran David Eilenberg as the new SVP of Unscripted Development.

Turner Broadcasting president and head of programming Michael Wright announced the appointment Tuesday, noting that Eilenberg will oversee all unscripted originals on both networks as they expand to fill the year-round slate.

"We believe that success comes from working with the best people in the business," said Wright. "David Eilenberg has been instrumental in the success of some of television's biggest reality hits. His taste and his relationships within the talent community are both first rate and will be vital to our efforts to grow this new aspect of our business. We're thrilled to have him on board as we expand our lineup with high-quality, unique and engaging reality series targeted to TBS's comedy fans and TNT's drama lovers."

Eilenberg previously held the post of head of development and current programming at Mark Burnett Productions, where he worked on unscripted giants such as The Voice, The Apprentice and Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?.

"David has been a great colleague and friend for many years," Burnett said of the move. "We’re thrilled that he’s going to a terrific network, and we look forward to working closely with him and his colleagues in the future."

TNT and TBS have both been making moves in unscripted, with TNT recently launching its first competition series, The Great Escape, and planning Boston Blue (working title) and 72 Hours (working title) for the slate. TBS also has King of the Nerds, Deon Cole's Black Box and Who Gets the Last Laugh?, all working titles, in the pipeline.