Touchstone Television’s Nissa Diederich Named EVP Production For 20th Television As Jim Sharp Sets Exit

Nellie Andreeva
·2 min read

Fox veteran Nissa Diederich, EVP Production for Touchstone Television, has been promoted to EVP Production, 20th Television. She will oversee production for the combined studio operation following the recent consolidation of Disney TV Studios’ 20th TV and Touchstone TV divisions. She will assume the responsibilities held by 20th TV head of production, EVP Jim Sharp, who will stay on through the end of year to assist with the transition.

“Nissa’s a spectacular executive who has overseen dozens of our most ambitious productions, earning the trust and gratitude of showrunners, executives and network partners alike,” said Craig Hunegs, President of Entertainment, Walt Disney Television to whom Diederich will report. “And we are grateful that Jim Sharp will stay on to ensure a smooth transition. We owe him an enormous debt for the incredible job he has done and his many years of service.”

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Prior to serving as EVP and head of Production for Touchstone TV (fka as Fox 21 TV Studios), Diedrich was a SVP at both Fox 21 and 20th Century Fox Television. She originally joined Fox twenty years ago as a Manager of Production Finance for Fox Television Studios (which subsequently merged with Fox 21), rising through the ranks to oversee all aspects of production finance for primetime network, cable, international and alternative television production for Fox TV Studios, Fox World Productions, Regency Television and The Greenblatt Janollari Studio.

Diedrich has overseen production on all of the series of Ryan Murphy, from all nine seasons of American Horror Story to The People V. OJ Simpson and The Assassination of Gianni Versace, Feud: Bette and Joan, the two 9-1-1 franchises, Netflix’s Ratched and the FX series Pose. She also oversaw production on Showtime’s Homeland, which shot in locations from South Africa to Berlin, Sons of Anarchy, and Nat Geo’s Genius series, which has focused on the lives of Albert Einstein, Pablo Picasso and soon, Aretha Franklin. Additional series under her purview include Hulu’s anticipated Dopesick and FX’s Mayans MC and the upcoming The Old Man.

“I want to thank Dana, Craig, and Karey for this opportunity to continue to help our creators get their visions both in front of the cameras and onto the screen. It’s a job I truly love and there is nowhere I’d rather be than at this studio,” Diederich said. “I also want to thank Jim, who brought me to Fox twenty-three years ago as a production finance manager, for providing me the opportunity to grow as an executive. He leaves a legacy of excellence which will always be synonymous with 20th.”

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