George McTeague Named Senior VP of Development at Optomen Productions (EXCLUSIVE)

By Joe Otterson

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – George McTeague has been appointed senior vice president of development for Optomen Productions, an All3Media company, Variety has learned exclusively.

In his new role, McTeague will report directly to ’s president, Maria Silver. He will be based out of the New York office and work alongside Los Angeles-based senior vice president Ricky Kelehar, who relocated earlier this year to establish a West coast office for Optomen and help oversee the launch of Optomen Entertainment. The new division is focused on formats and game shows for domestic production and global distribution.

“George is a well-respected developer with a track record for successful programming with strong and unique voices,” said Silver. “With his finger always on the pulse, he’s the perfect addition to our New York team as we continue to prioritize premium cable programming on the east coast.”

In his new role, McTeague will be tasked with generating new character driven docuseries and creating original formats for both US broadcast and cable networks. Prior to Optomen, McTeague served as head of development for Big Fish Entertainment where he developed and served as executive producer for such popular shows like “Live PD” for A&E, “Hustle and Soul” for WeTV, and “Tattoo Girls” for TLC. McTeague began his career at MTV, rising through the ranks to vice president of development on the east coast. There, he developed and produced multiple series including “Made,” “House of Style,” “8th and Ocean,” and “Human Giant.” Throughout his career, he has developed and produced hundreds of hours of programming for multiple networks and cable outlets such as NBC Sports, Food Network, Oxygen, A&E, Animal Planet, Bravo and others.

““I’m very excited to work alongside such a strong development team at Optomen, and continue to strengthen such a unique brand,” said McTeague.