Xbox Entertainment hires AMC exec to develop unscripted content

By Adam Rosenberg January 24, 2014

xbox entertainment hires amc exec develop unscripted content ari mark — Ari Mark Image used with permission by copyright holder

We’ve yet to see what Xbox Entertainment Studios can do, but the team being built there certainly has some chops. Microsoft’s latest hire is former AMC programming director Ari Mark, the company confirms. Mark’s focus at the Walking Dead cable network was on unscripted content, and he’ll continue to work in the same direction in his new post. He had a hand in developing a number of series’ at his former job, including The Pitch, Small Town Security, Comic Book Men, and Talking Dead.

There’s no word on what specific projects Mark is working on, though Xbox Entertainment has a couple of documentary-style projects in development. There’s a documentary series from producers Jonathan and Simon Chinn that will kick off with a look at the fabled burial in 1983 of thousands of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial game cartridges for Atari 2600. Also in development is a documentary series called Every Street United that is set to take a look at street soccer in the run-up to the 2014 World Cup.

Mark will report to Nancy Tellem, the former CBS exec that Microsoft hired in 2012 to head up its then-new entertainment division.

[Image via Xbox Entertainment Studios]

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Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…

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