“For Arthur to pass his CEO torch to me is a great honor and I look forward to building on the great success of the company by developing, selling, and producing even more global hits,” Baumgard said. “American Ninja Warrior is appointment television in my home. I’m not sure who is more excited about me running A. Smith & Co. as my next chapter, me or my kids.”
A Smith and Co Names Caroline Baumgard CEO, Founder Arthur Smith Moves to Chairman
Frank Sinton named COO of parent company Tinopolis USA
A. Smith and Co founder Arthur Smith is stepping down from his CEO role this October, with Banjay Group’s Caroline Baumgard taking over.
Smith, who founded the reality TV production house, will transition to a chairman role while also maintaining his chairman role with Tinopolis USA, A. Smith and Co’s parent company. Smith will continue to executive produce “American Ninja Warrior,” “Hell’s Kitchen,” “The Titan Games” and a number of other franchises in A. Smith & Co.’s portfolio.
Baumgard joins A. Smith & Co. from Banijay Studios North America where she helped launch the studio in 2014 and served for five years as chief creative officer. Prior to Banijay, Baumgard was at Endemol USA from its inception.
“Caroline’s creative instincts and exceptional relationships are two of the many reasons why she’s the perfect person to lead the next chapter of A. Smith & Co. when she joins us this fall,” Smith said. “I have every confidence that she will build upon our hard-earned reputation for creating big, high-quality, fan-favorite franchises for broadcast, cable and OTT buyers across the ever-expanding universe of viewing platforms.”
Additionally, Frank Sinton, who has served as COO of A. Smith, has been elevated to COO of Tinopolis USA.