Sony Pictures TV alum Zach Edwin to head Hasbro Entertainment’s new unscripted arm | News

Former Sony Pictures Television (SPT) executive Zach Edwin has been named head of Hasbro Entertainment’s (HE) new unscripted division in the US, tasked with overseeing the company’s factual and gaming content.

Based in LA and London, HE was founded in August 2023 when Hasbro sold eOne to Lionsgate. Reporting to HE’s Head of TV Gabriel Marano, Edwin will work with Lionsgate, distribution partners and key creatives to bring new IPs and formats to the global market.

Edwin is an experienced development manager and producer. He comes from the Intellectual Property Company, part of SPT-Nonfiction (SPTNF), where he worked for five years. There he developed unscripted series for various networks, including Selena + Chef (Max), Indian Matchmaking (Netflix), and Top Secret Videos (truTV).

US toy giant Hasbro has launched HE to focus on developing, financing and producing content based on Hasbro-owned brands.

Several projects are already in production, including two starting today on The CW. Trivial Pursuit and Scrabble are inspired by the board games and are presented by LeVar Burton and Raven-Symoné, respectively. Both shows were developed in collaboration with Lionsgate and with creative input from Hasbro’s Steven Gelber.

Other formats in the pipeline include adaptations of Monopoly and the foam-based toy gun brand Nerf, as well as a TV version of Clue in collaboration with SPTNF.

Edwin’s arrival follows the appointments in August of Milos Ralic and Julian Adege, who will expand HE’s growing free, ad-supported streaming TV and AVoD partnerships.

“Zach is a great fit to help us build a standalone division that does justice to Hasbro’s iconic history and portfolio. “He brings a wealth of experience when it comes to bringing large, unscripted projects to the screen for top partners,” said Marano.

Edwin said: “He is positioned to be a true leader in the screenwriting space and has an amazing collection of historic, globally-loved brands to create high-quality content for a global audience.”

“I look forward to working with Gabe and the rest of the HE team, as well as world-class partners like Lionsgate and my former colleagues at SPTNF, to capitalize on the tremendous opportunity that lies ahead.”