WE tv hires scripted veteran in drama push

US cable channel WE tv has hired its first scripted television executive following the summer commission of its debut drama.

Cheryl Bloch will lead the AMC Networks-owned channel’s scripted efforts as senior VP, scripted programming. She will be based in Santa Monica and report to newly-installed WE tv president Marc Juris.

Her hire comes after female-skewed WE tv moved into drama with the commission of Richard LaGravanese-penned The Divide, a 10-part series that will follow an impassioned case worker attempting to save a death row inmate.

She had already been working with the channel as a senior consultant and was key to Divide‘s commission. She also worked on its growing scripted slate and identified projects including All American Women from Fox Television Studios, Dirty from Ryan Cutker and FTVS, and Unpredictable from Barry Levinson and Tom Fontana.

Bloch was previously senior VP of Jennilind Productions, where she developed shows for the likes of HBO, and was formerly VP, drama development at US broadcast network Fox, where she developed 24. She also held top roles at Universal’s current programming wing and at a Warner Bros.-backed producer, Brand/Falsey Productions.