Former HBO programming chief Michael Lombardo has officially joined Entertainment One.
Lombardo will be president global television at the studio, charged with leading eOne's TV strategy and overseeing development and production — including adaptations of IP from parent company Hasbro.
"We couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome Michael to the eOne team. His incredibly impressive history of success during his long tenure at HBO resulted in some of the most ground-breaking, iconic television series over the past two decades," said Steve Bertram, president film & television at eOne. "A true champion of creative excellence, Michael is the ideal leader to guide our television strategy at a time where audiences are demanding content of the highest quality."
Said Lombardo, "Throughout my career, I have been driven by a passion for great stories. I’m excited to join eOne where we have some of the most beloved brands in the world to inspire our work, in addition to an outstanding talent-rich pipeline built by a team that I very much look forward to leading."
Lombardo had been consulting with eOne prior to his official hire and, as The Hollywood Reporter reported in May, was expected to join the studio full time. Part of his brief will be developing programming based on Hasbro properties including Power Rangers, Transformers and Dungeons & Dragons, along with overseeing the studio's current slate that includes ABC's The Rookie, HBO's Run and the Growing Up Hip Hop franchise on WE.
Hasbro acquired Entertainment One in 2019 in a $3.8 billion deal fueled in part by the toy company's desire to gain rights to eOne kids' series like Peppa Pig and PJ Masks.
Lombardo spent 33 years at HBO, including more than a decade as president of programming at the premium cable outlet. During his tenure as programming head, he greenlit shows including Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire, Veep, True Blood, Girls, The Leftovers, True Detective and Silicon Valley, among others. He most recently was a principal and producer at Peter Berg's Film 44.
