LEADING INDEPENDENT TV AND FILM STUDIO MRC ANNOUNCES JENNA SANTOIANNI AS NEW PRESIDENT OF TELEVISION

Santoianni will oversee the independent studio’s slate of TV development and current projects and its joint venture and strategic television production partnerships 

Los Angeles – March 7, 2023 - Leading independent TV and film studio MRC, whose current global TV slate includes Peacock’s Poker Face, Hulu’s The Great, Prime Video’s The Terminal List and a recently greenlit prequel to The Terminal List, Apple TV+’s The Shrink Next Door, Shining Girls and Hello Tomorrow!, announced today that Jenna Santoianni has been named the studio’s new President of Television. The news follows the departure of former President of Television Elise Henderson. The announcement was made this morning by MRC CEO Scott Tenley. In her new role, Santoianni will oversee MRC’s current programming, its full slate of development, all joint ventures and production partnerships, as well as all of the television studio’s operational units, including production, business and legal affairs and production finance. She is expected to begin this week.

Santoianni most recently served as Executive Vice President and Head of Development for Paramount Television Studios. She joins MRC in tandem with Scott Tenley’s recent elevation to CEO as part of a new executive structure for the studio. Co-founders Modi Wiczyk and Asif Satchu have assumed the new roles of Chairmen, with Jonathan Golfman and Brye Adler remaining in place as co-Presidents of Film and Amit Dey as Head of Non-Fiction. 

“Jenna is an incredibly talented television executive with invaluable high-level experience and knowledge of all aspects of the industry, including development, production and packaging,” said Tenley. “With sharp creative instincts, Jenna’s strength is her commitment to fostering a collaborative internal culture along with an impressive track record for producing groundbreaking and compelling series. She is that rare entrepreneurial leader who can help deliver the successful growth of our television slate for years to come.” 

While at Paramount, Santoianni oversaw the successful development and production of the studio’s robust slate of high-profile series, including Made for Love, Station Eleven, Joe Pickett, The Offer and the upcoming Fatal Attraction and Grease: The Rise of the Pink Ladies. Over the course of her career, she has developed and produced stellar series across an array of platforms, including HBO Max, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Showtime and many others.  

“I have been a longtime admirer of MRC -- from the artists they work with, to the stories they tell, to the culture they promote and the incredible business they have built,” said Santoianni. “As true entrepreneurs and recognized pioneers in streaming as well as content disruptors, I cannot wait to join this fantastic team of fearless, thoughtful risk-takers who love what they do and share their excitement as we head into this next chapter together.” 

Over the past 16 years, MRC has become highly-regarded as a ground-breaking independent studio known for producing trailblazing films and television shows in partnership with some of the industry’s most renowned and inventive creative talent. In alignment with the studio’s artist-driven culture, MRC welcomes Santoianni’s deep network of industry relationships with studios and broadcasters, directors and showrunners, writers and talent, as well as her proven entrepreneurial track record.  

Prior to her work at Paramount, Santoianni led the TV division at Sonar Entertainment, now known as Halcyon Studios, where she produced Das Boot (Sky/Hulu), The Son (AMC), Taboo (FX), The Shannara Chronicles (MTV/Paramount Network), Lorena (Amazon), Hunters (Amazon) and Mr. Mercedes (DirecTV). 

Santoianni began her career at the desk of formidable CAA agent Beth Swofford. She is a Marquette University graduate.