Discovery Taps John Hoffman as Executive VP of Documentaries, Specials

Discovery Channel announced Thursday it has hired John Hoffman as executive VP of documentaries and specials effective immediately.

Hoffman will oversee all development in the alternative and specials area, as well as produce original documentary programming.

“Documentaries remain an integral part of what we do and who we are at Discovery,” said Rich Ross, president of Discovery Channel. “Given our legacy, our documentary filmmaking must be valued and protected. John is one of the best in our business, and his filmmaking experience, coupled with his ability to bring together unprecedented partnerships, will keep Discovery moving forward as leaders in groundbreaking and award-winning documentary films.”

Hoffman has received five Primetime Emmy awards, a Peabody award and two DuPont-Columbia awards.

Prior to Discovery, Hoffman served as CEO of The Public Good Projects, a non-profit production company he founded. Before that, Hoffman worked in HBO Documentary Films for 17 years, which included doc series The Weight of the Nation and The Alzheimer’s Project.