Former WB Entertainment prexy David Janollari is in talks to join MTV in a senior development role.
Insiders confirm reports, first written by Deadline Hollywood, that Janollari would serve as a top development exec at the cabler.
It's believed that Janollari would get a senior VP title. He'd likely report to MTV programming president Tony DiSanto. It's unclear how Janollari's gig would impact DiSanto's top programming lieutenant, MTV series senior VP Liz Gateley.
If he does join MTV, Janollari's hire reps the latest exec shuffle at the youth-oriented cabler, which is undergoing a programming shift in light of weakened ratings.
Janollari's experience developing and producing youth-oriented series, including his time at the WB, would jibe with DiSanto's recently expressed desire to target the Millenial crowd by pushing MTV into more uplifting, blue sky programming.
Janollari had most recently worked as an independent producer, having set up a project earlier this year at Showtime from "Six Feet Under" alum Craig Wright.
Before that, Janollari had been set up as a producer at Warner Bros. TV, having signed a two-year deal in 2007.
The MTV gig would mark another return to the executive ranks for Janollari, who has jumped back in forth in recent years between gigs as producer and studio/network suit.
Most notably, Janollari spent several years as a top executive at Warner Bros. TV before ankling in 1997 to launch a production company with Bob Greenblatt.
Greenblatt/Janollari's credits included HBO's "Six Feet Under," as well as the UPN comedies "One on One" and "Eve" and the PBS drama "American Family." Initially set up at Fox TV Studios, Greenblatt/Janollari operated as an independent entity in later years.
Janollari more or less ran Greenblatt/Janollari Studios solo after Greenblatt became entertainment prexy at Showtime in early 2004.
Janollari was then named the WB's final entertainment president, joining in 2004 and remaining until the Frog shut down in 2006. Greenblatt/Janollari shingle went dormant after Janollari took the WB gig.
As an exec in the 1990s at Warner Bros. TV, where he worked under Leslie Moonves, Janollari helped develop hits such as "Friends," "The Drew Carey Show" and "Living Single." He joined WBTV from Fox, where he was director of comedy development.
Separately, MTV recently tapped Sarah Tomassi Lindman to serve as executive vice president, program strategy for MTV.
Moves all come as MTV Networks Music Group topper Brian Graden departs the company officially at the end of the year.
Contact Michael Schneider at
mike.schneider@variety.com