Variety is reporting that the executive producer of “Basketball Wives” will be continuing in his duties with the franchise, as well as working for Chad and Evelyn’s new show:
Shed Media U.S. has signed Sean Rankine to a new deal to continue as showrunner of VH1′s “Basketball Wives” franchise.
Rankine exec produces Miami-set “Basketball Wives” and “Basketball Wives Los Angeles,” as well as upcoming new unscripted series “Ocho & Ev,” featuring Chad Ochocinco and Evelyn Lozada.
Rankine operates “with grace under a lot of pressure,” Shed Media prexy Nick Emmerson said, and has worked well on “Basketball Wives” in coordination with Shed senior veep Alex Demyanenko.
“They together managed to sort of get the women to really trust the team, trust the producers and basically open up to allow their lives, warts and all, to be on screen,” Emmerson told Variety. “Day in, day out, night in, night out … (Rankine) is there, gaining their trust, carving out storylines.”
February’s fourth-season premiere of “Basketball Wives” drew 2.5 million overall viewers, a nearly 40% increase over its May 2011 season-three launch.
“Sean has been absolutely instrumental in guiding this hit franchise for us,” VH1 programming and production exec veep Jeff Olde said. “He is an incredible storyteller and apparently also an insomniac, and we are so grateful for both.”
Rankine’s other exec producer credits include “The Kristoffer Winters Project” for Bravo and “Saddle Ranch” for VH1.
This should be quite interesting.
