Sharon Levy Announces Exit From Spike

As reported by Deadline, Spike’s longtime head of programming, EVP Original Series Sharon Levy, is leaving the network. She just announced her departure in a memo to the company, with Spike president Kevin Kay praising her contributions in a separate email to the staff. (You can read both under the post). Levy’s exit comes as Spike is embarking on a transformation into a general entertainment cable network branded The Paramount Network. TV Land’s Keith Cox is expected to be named President of Development and Production for The Paramount Network and TV Land.

During her 12-year tenure at Spike, Levy oversaw the development and launch of such reality hits as the Ink Master franchise, Lip Sync Battle, Bar Rescue and Catch A Contractor. She also oversaw Spike’s foray into scripted programming with miniseries Tut and its upcoming scripted offerings, Stephen King series The Mist and Weinstein Co.’s miniseries Waco. The network also has upcoming docuseries TIME: The Kalief Browder Story, produced by Jay-Z.

Here is her note, in which she thanks Kay, former longtime Viacom cable chief Doug Herzog, who also recently left the company, and her team:

Dear Team Spike –

As the winds of change blow through our hallways, bringing excitement for what will come, it is also the perfect time for me to do a little soul searching.

I have reached a very hard decision which is to answer the call of the wild and leave Spike to pursue other opportunities.

The network has been a great life adventure, bringing me from deserts of Morocco to the remote countryside of Nova Scotia and everywhere in between. From enduring an intensely hot and humid August day in Manhattan to shoot the pilot of Ink Master to trudging through five feet of snow to meet Jay Z on the red carpet at Sundance, it certainly has been a wild ride. I have collaborated with every type of artist our medium shares, from writers, actors, producers, directors, documentarians, comedians and animators. And somehow it never felt like work and that is all because of you. Please keep this place special and continue to be kind to one another, no matter what the future throws at you. It has always been the underdog spirit that has made Spike one of the greatest places to be, and carrying that torch is on each of you.

I want to thank Kevin Kay for ten years of partnership, his faith and bravery, and most importantly his sense of humor. We have been together more than most marriages and that is truly impressive. I would not even have had this opportunity to lead development and programming for all these years if it hadn’t been for my mentor and dear friend, Doug Herzog, a world class leader who continues to inspire in all ways, especially his current Instagram feed.

And now the hard part, the inner circle. I have been the luckiest girl in the world to come in to the office every day and be partners with an amazing team. Chachi, Ted, Hayley, Lauren, Tori, Justin, Chaz, Erin, Ryan, Todd and Danielle. You have calmed me down on turbulent flights, picked every restaurant I have eaten at in the last two years, showed me how to bargain shop, introduced me to the world of cool sneakers, and that’s just a Tuesday. We have made some great TV together, and some less so, but we have always pushed and supported each other to be the best we could be and did it while laughing, a lot. I will miss you, but our connections are deeper than the place we call work. My greatest gift from Spike has been this group of people I will call friends forever.

There are so many great things to come for you all, and I will be here for the next couple of weeks helping keep the trains on the tracks and gearing up for the exciting launch of my personal favorite project, “Time: The Kalief Browder Story.” I will always root for Team Spike, and am excited to see all the amazing accomplishments you create together over the next year. Go big or go home.

Your fan,
Sharon Levy

Kevin Key:

I want to let you know that Sharon Levy has decided to step down from her role as Executive Vice President of Original Series for Spike.

For the last 12 years, Sharon has been a big part of the Spike family. As head of development, she has been instrumental in the success and maturation of the Spike brand through the years – from a male-focused network to the big, bold and broad entertainment destination it is today.

Under her watch, she introduced the world to the lovable and occasionally bombastic Jon Taffer, she made competitive tattooing a TV sensation, she oversaw the most compelling story ever made about the legendary Egyptian king Tut, and most recently, she oversaw the development of Stephen King’s The Mist and joined forces with Jay Z and Harvey Weinstein to tell the story of an innocent 16 year-old wronged by the criminal justice system.

But above everything else, she has always been a great partner, teammate, and friend to me and to the entire staff and she will be missed.

On behalf of everyone at Spike, I can say we are so incredibly thankful for everything she has accomplished at Spike and for her unmatched enthusiasm, passion, and love for brand – and its team members.

We know that wherever her next adventure takes her, she will always be The One To Watch!

Kevin