Nissa Diederich, Head of Production for 20th Television, to Depart After Nearly 25 Years
Nissa Diederich, 20th Television’s head of production, will step down from her position after nearly 25 years as an executive with 20th TV, Fox 21 Television Studios and its successors. Most recently, she spent the past three years as an executive VP.
Karey Burke, president of 20th Television, announced Diederich’s imminent departure in a memo to staff at the Disney-owned studio Thursday.
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“Nissa has helmed production on some of the studio’s most significant and storied series for over two and a half decades,” Burke wrote, noting, among others, “Glee,” “Homeland,” “This Is Us,” the “American Crime Story” franchise, “Only Murders in the Building” and the upcoming “Percy Jackson and The Olympians.”
No replacement has been named for Diederich and no details about a new head of production at 20th Television were available.
In February 2021, Diederich shifted from executive VP of production for Touchstone Television (formerly Fox 21 Television Studios) to chief of production at 20th Television in the wake of the consolidation of the Walt Disney Co.’s TV studios. She took over for longtime production executive Jim Sharp, who had served as 20th’s production head and spent decades at the company previously known as 20th Century Fox.
Prior to her role at Touchstone, Diederich was a senior VP at Fox 21 and 20th Century Fox Television. Sharp first brought Diederich on board at Fox two decades ago to work in production finance, where she ultimately rose to oversee all aspects for primetime network, cable, international and alternative TV production for Fox Television Studios, Fox World Productions, Regency Television and The Greenblatt Janollari Studio.
See Burke’s memo to staff about Diederich’s departure in full below.
Team,
I wanted to share with you the news that our colleague Nissa Diederich has made the decision to step down from her role as Executive Vice President of production for 20th Television. Nissa has helmed production on some of the studio’s most significant and storied series for over two and a half decades. In addition to critically acclaimed and award-winning legacy shows like Glee, Homeland, This Is Us, all three iterations of the American Crime Story anthology, Sons Of Anarchy and limited series The Dropout and Dopesick, Nissa also oversaw production on American Horror Story, Only Murders in the Building, and the upcoming series Percy Jackson and The Olympians and Feud: Capote vs. The Swans, and countless others.
I know you will all join me in thanking Nissa for her incredible contributions to 20th Television and cheering her on in her next chapter.
Best,
Karey
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