Ex-MTV reality chief joins Viceland

Lauren Dolgen

US cable channel Viceland has hired former MTV reality boss Lauren Dolgen as its head of West Coast development.

She will oversee production and development in LA for the channel, which in the US is a joint venture between Vice Media and A+E Networks.

Dolgen left MTV last year during a period that saw a number of top-level programming and development execs exit Viacom’s cable channels.

She had spent 20 years at MTV, rising to executive VP, series development and head of unscripted programming. There, she oversaw the creation of shows such as 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom, and worked on series such as Real World and Jackass.

“As a producer I was lucky enough to work with Lauren on more projects than I remember,” said Derek Freda, co-president of Viceland. “I was always impressed with her ability to find and develop new material, her deep commitment to talent, and her capacity to help any project always find the best version of itself.”

Freda and Guy Slattery were upped to co-presidents of Viceland in February, with Eddy Moretti stepping back to focus on his previous role as chief creative officer.