EXCLUSIVE: Allison Wallach has been promoted to oversee unscripted programming for Fox.
She will take over the role of President, Unscripted Programming at Fox after Rob Wade, who previously oversaw the genre, was named CEO of the company in October.
Wallach was most recently EVP and Head of Fox Alternative Entertainment, the company’s in-house non-scripted studio. She joined the company in early 2020, having previously been president of Jupiter Entertainment.
Reporting to Wade, in her new expanded role, Wallach will responsible for overseeing and commissioning all unscripted programming for the network including hits such as The Masked Singer and its slew of Gordon Ramsay programming.
On the Ramsay front, Wallach will also manage Studio Ramsay Global, the joint venture production company that Fox set up with the celebrity chef, as well as entertainment brand TMZ.
She will also continue to be responsible for Fox Alternative Entertainment and will lead the search for a new EVP and Head of the in-house production unit.
As part of the move, Yasmin Rawji has been promoted to EVP, Unscripted — Network to oversee reality programming. Rawji was previously SVP, Alternative Entertainment at Fox and will now report to Wallach.
Rawji has worked across series such as The Masked Singer, Next Level Chef and Joe Millionaire: For Richer since joining the company in 2017. Before Fox, she was a senior producer on Dancing with the Stars and America’s Got Talent.
Wallach’s promotion is the latest high-profile move in the unscripted industry this year following the shake-up at NBC that saw Corie Henson take over from Jenny Bloom.
During Wallach’s time running FAE, she has overseen series such as The Masked Singer, the network’s most successful non-scripted show, as well as Next Level Chef, which is heading into its second season with its return after Super Bowl LVII, avatar singing competition Alter Ego, I Can See Your Voice, Crime Scene Kitchen, Name That Tune and Domino Masters.
She was also responsible for Irish variety series The Big Deal, which was the studio’s first third-party series. The show launched on Ireland’s Virgin Media Television and is now in development in the U.S. for Fox as Fame or Fortune.
That show was part of Fox’s International Unscripted Format Fund, which identifies IP for the global market that is produced and owned by FAE.
Prior to joining Fox, Wallach ran Snapped producer Jupiter Entertainment between 2015 and 2019 and before that was an agent in United Talent Agency’s alternative television department. She also previously worked at BBC Worldwide Productions and Lifetime.
“Since joining us — in early 2020, no less – Allison has played a critical role in navigating FAE through one of the most arduous chapters the television business has ever witnessed and, in doing so, helped build it into a key growth driver for Fox Entertainment,” said Wade. “FAE has greatly expanded its global presence under Allison’s leadership, and, in her hands, I am confident Fox’s unscripted portfolio will continue to enjoy similar success.”
“It is an honor to work at a company that has long been a cornerstone of the unscripted space, and I am grateful to Rob for the opportunity to build on Fox’s strong legacy of providing premium programming to viewers,” added Wallach. “Yasmin has been a great partner of mine during our time together here at Fox. Her fierce devotion to creative and sharp production prowess are inspiring to watch. I’m looking forward to closely working with her in guiding Fox’s unscripted business in the years to come.”