A division of Banijay, the world’s largest international content producer and distributor, Banijay Americas includes six subsidiary production companies in the U.S., including Endemol Shine North America, Bunim/Murray Productions, Truly Original, 51 Minds Entertainment, Authentic Entertainment and Stephen David Entertainment.
A division of Banijay, the world’s largest international content producer and distributor, Banijay Americas includes six subsidiary production companies in the U.S., including Endemol Shine North America, Bunim/Murray Productions, Truly Original, 51 Minds Entertainment, Authentic Entertainment and Stephen David Entertainment.

Howard Swartz Joins Stephen David Entertainment As Executive Vice President Of Development

Press Release

March 22, 2023

Howard Swartz has been named Executive Vice President of Development at Stephen David Entertainment, the Banijay Americas-owned studio behind Emmy Award-winning series Men Who Built America, The Titans Who Built America, American Playboy and Roman Empire: Reign of Blood, it was announced today by the company’s founder and CEO, Stephen David. In this newly created position, the former Warner Bros. Discovery executive will play an integral role in the development, growth, and diversification of Stephen David Entertainment’s signature slate of documentary, non-fiction, series, and specials.

“I have long admired Howard Swartz’s work, and I’m thrilled that he will be bringing his extraordinary vision and expertise to Stephen David Entertainment,” said David. “His proven track record of creating high-profile global specials and event series across a variety of genres makes him the ideal partner as we continue to elevate our programming slate and expand into new categories.”

Swartz joins Stephen David Entertainment after serving as Senior Vice President of Documentaries & Specials for Warner Bros. Discovery’s Factual Networks and Streaming. There, he oversaw the strategy and execution of the company’s core brand-defining content, including docuseries Viagra: The Little Blue Pill That Changed The World, Unprecedented, an exclusive look into the Trump family during the 2020 re-election campaign and its aftermath, the anthology strand Undiscovered, and several feature documentaries including January 6th. Swartz also oversaw more than 100 hours of the annual iconic pop culture event Shark Week in addition to the media company’s robust natural history slate, which included the Emmy-nominated series Serengeti.

“Everything Stephen David does is premium and award-winning. He and his team are globally recognized for virtually re-inventing the history genre,” said Swartz. “The opportunity to help build on the success of his brand and expand into new and different areas is really exciting.”

Prior to his role at Warner Bros. Discovery, Swartz was Arrow Media’s Executive Vice President of Development and Production, based out of their London office. Previously, he served as Vice President, Documentaries and Specials for Discovery Channel, overseeing high-profile global

specials including Skywire Live with Nik Wallenda, which was the highest-rated live event in Discovery Channel history. Swartz also served as Executive Producer at PBS’ acclaimed science series NOVA where he received the prestigious Alfred I. DuPont Award, as well as an AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Award.

Before NOVA, Swartz was with the National Geographic Channel, where he oversaw the signature series Explorer and executive produced more than 100 programs, including Emmy Award-winners Five Years on Mars, Inside Living Body, and Incredible Human Machine.