Erin Wanner has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Production for Animal Planet, Susanna Dinnage, Global President of Animal Planet, announced Thursday. Wanner will continue to be based in New York.
She will now head up all of the network’s production teams, working with internal executive producers and external production companies to execute Animal Planet’s storytelling and content vision.
The news comes on the heels of Dinnage announcing Animal Planet’s new global brand identity, which began to roll out to 360 million homes in more than 205 countries and territories last month.
Wanner serves as an executive producer on select series and specials, including Animal Planet’s new show, “Crikey! It’s The Irwins” — which premiered last month to an all-time ratings record win for the network — and “Saving Africa’s Giants with Yao Ming.”
She is being promoted from VP Production for Animal Planet, where she oversaw series and specials like “The Zoo,” “Tanked,” “Treehouse Masters,” “Dodo Heroes,” “Surviving Harvey: Animals After the Storm,” and “Puppy Bowl,” which broke ratings records earlier this year by delivering the highest-rated telecast in special’s 14-year history.
“Erin brings strong story-telling and creative excellence to our content together with a deep understanding of audience and a passion for the best in production. We are fortunate to have Erin’s leadership and expertise to help deliver on our mission to keep the childhood joy and wonder of animals alive,” said Dinnage.
Prior to joining Animal Planet, Wanner was an executive producer for Discovery Kids, where her programs earned nine Emmy nominations.