‘Star Trek’: CBS Names Veronica Hart Head of New Global Franchise Group

By Will Thorne

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – CBS is doing all it can to make sure the “Star Trek” franchise lives long and prospers.

The network has announced it is launching a “” global franchise group that will “manage and maximize the expansion of the brand beyond the traditional boundaries of linear broadcasting and streaming,” with the goal of broadening the “Star Trek” fan community through multiple avenues such as as podcasts, new digital spaces, and live experiential events.

The news comes as continues its push to expand the “Star Trek” universe. The multiple “Star Trek” series, in addition to “Discovery,” which are now in the works include the animated “Star Trek: Lower Decks,” a CG-animated Nickelodeon series, an untitled Captain Jean-Luc Picard project and a drama centered on Michelle Yeoh’s “Discovery” character, both at All Access.

Leading the unit will be Veronica Hart, executive vice president of the newly-formed “Star Trek” Global Franchise Management. Hart will manage the “Star Trek” global brand strategy to support the content development plans which are being shepherded by Alex Kurtzman, who is under an overall deal at CBS TV and executive produces the various “Star Trek” series.

The unit will report to David Stapf, president of CBS Television Studios.

“Veronica and her team are not only gifted brand strategists and veteran consumer products executives, they are also experts on the ‘Star Trek’ canon,” said Stapf. “We are excited to launch this new business unit because the brand has an enormously rabid fan base, and we look forward to expanding its reach even further.”

In addition to Hart, the franchise team will include John Van Citters, VP of “Star Trek” brand development, Yasmin Elachi, director of “Star Trek” content, and Gabrielle Oliff, director of global franchise management operations.

“As we expand the Trekverse, Veronica’s team and Secret Hideout are dedicated to broadening ‘Star Trek’s’ brand reach by amplifying its core values globally: empowerment, inclusion, imagination, and above all, the exceptional storytelling that’s inspired generations of fans,” said Kurtzman.

The new franchise group will be based out of Kurtzman’s Secret Hideout Productions in Santa Monica, CA.