Latest in Zodiak USA

Zodiak Americas is rebranding Zodiak USA as Zodiak Los Angeles. Zodiak Americas COO Tony Yates has been appointed CEO of the new entity, which will serve as Zodiak's west coast non-scripted production base managing a programming slate that includes Secret Millionaire (ABC), Celebrity Wife Swap (ABC) and Killer Karaoke…

EXCLUSIVE: ABC has ordered a 13-episode third season of Celebrity Wife Swap, from  Zodiak USA. Season 2 of the reality series, an offshoot of Wife Swap, featured switcheroos that included reality TV stars Kate Gosselin and Kendra Wilkinson; 1990s music stars Gerardo Mejia and Sisqo; as well as TV mother-daughter duo…

Natalka Znak will leave Zodiak USA at the end of her contract next month. Znak moved to Los Angeles from her native Britain in early 2010 to become EVP of then-RDF USA and was named Chief Creative Officer in March of that year, shortly after Grant Mansfield joined the company as CEO. Last June, Znak was upped to CEO…

Zodiak USA’s Chief Creative Office Natalka Znak has been promoted to CEO. She succeeds Zodiak USA CEO Grant Mansfield who is leaving the company this month to return to his native U.K. after two years at the helm of RDF USA and then Zodiak USA, following Zodiak Media’s June 2010 acquisition of RDF. In her new…

I’ve learned that Zodiak USA CEO Grant Mansfield will leave the company in June to return to his native U.K. Mansfield served as Managing Director and Group Director Factual, Entertainment and Comedy for RDF TV in the U.K. before he was named CEO of RDF USA in January 2010. Nine months later, the company was renamed…

History has picked up Real Deal, a new reality series about the market for collectibles. The half-hour series, based on the British series Dickinson’s Real Deal, which is going into its eighth season on ITV, is like Deal Or No Deal with collectibles. Sellers take their items to a dealer who offers them a price. The…

EXCLUSIVE: TruTV has picked up Killer Karaoke, a U.S. version of British game show Sing If You Can. Comedian and Jackass co-star Steve-O will host the new series, which has been given an 8-episode order for a launch in early 2012. Zodiak USA is producing. Described as the Wipeout of singing competitions, Killer Karaoke…

Zodiak USA is hoping that lightning can strike twice, bringing to the U.S. a restaurant reality format that has become a breakout hit on Holland’s RTL4, the same network that launched The Voice. Zodiak will pitch the format, Restaurant Race, to U.S. broadcast networks this week. I hear two of them, ABC and NBC, are on…

EXCLUSIVE: With its celebrity reality juggernaut Dancing With the Stars showing little sign of slowing down, ABC is putting a celebrity spin on another veteran reality series, Wife Swap. ABC has ordered a celebrity edition of Wife Swap, in which celebrities switch lifestyles for a week. Wife Swap producer Zodiak USA…

New British game show Sing If You Can, described as the Wipeout of singing competitions, is close to finding a U.S. TV home. Zodiak USA had already been pitching an American version of its format, landing two offers from U.S. networks. Then the series premiered on ITV on Saturday, Britain’s highest-rated TV night…

EXCLUSIVE: Syfy has renewed promising freshman drama series Being Human for a second season. In its January 17 debut, Being Human, an adaptation of the British series, averaged 2 million viewers to become Syfy’s most watched new scripted series winter premiere since Battlestar Galactica in 2005. The series, produced…

Almost 4 months after Paris-based Zodiak Entertainment closed a deal to acquire U.K.'s RDF Media Group, creating the third largest independent TV production company in the world, the combined company has established an American outpost. RDF USA has merged with Zodiak Entertainment US to become Zodiak USA with offices…