Yahoo News Helga Eike Joins Westbrook As President Of Red Table Talk
EXCLUSIVE: Authentic Entertainment President Helga Eike has joined Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith’s Westbrook as President of Red Table Talk.
This is a new position, signaling Westbrook’s plans to further expand the Red Table Talk brand beyond the hugely successful Facebook Watch talk show, featuring Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith and Adrienne Banfield-Norrisand, and its recently launched spinoff, Red Table Talk: The Estefans.
In her new role, Eike, a seasoned unscripted executive and producer, will oversee all aspects of Westbrook’s Red Table Talk business – from development and production of original programming, to brand extensions into podcast, literary, live experiences, and other ancillary products. Westbrook is in the process of developing additional Red Table Talk spinoffs and related content; Eike will focus those efforts of scaling the original RTT format as well as creating new concepts that fit the brand’s mission to create intimate, communal spaces for healing conversations.
The Westbrook-produced Red Table Talk is Facebook Watch’s most successful original program with over 1 billion views since its launch in 2018. Earlier this year, Westbrook announced a three-year renewal of the series, and this October, the company expanded the franchise with the premiere of Red Table Talk: The Estefans, hosted by Gloria Estefan, her daughter, Emily, and niece, Lili.
“The success of the Red Table Talk series is unparalleled both in its reach and cultural impact,” said Eike. “The vulnerability and truth expressed in each episode has resonated with audiences around the world and serving this engaged community will always be a core value for the RTT brand. I’m thrilled to join Jada and the rest of the team as we continue to deliver this exceptional program, and to expand into new content and geographic territories that will allow us to grow and connect a global RTT family.”
Eike will work closely with Red Table Talk founders and executive producers, Jada Pinkett Smith, Miguel Melendez, and Ellen Rakieten, as well as the different Westbrook divisions (Studios, Media, and Good Goods) to expand the brand through content and ancillary opportunities.
“Over the course of her career, Helga has demonstrated a deep understanding of what it takes not only to develop and execute a hit show, but also to leverage content into new touchpoints that bring joy and inspiration to people,” said Jada Pinkett Smith. “Her boundless creativity, operational know-how, and ability to find stories that unite people in shared experience and compassion is a carefully honed skill and we are so excited for her to join our team as we continue this journey building the Red Table Talk family.”
Eike joins Red Table Talk from Authentic Entertainment, a division of Endemol Shine North America, where she most recently served as President, steering the provider of lifestyle content for such brands as TLC, Food Network, HGTV, Bravo, CNBC, Complex Networks, and Disney.
Prior to her tenure as President, Eike was President of her own label, Red Bandit Media (in partnership with ITV America), and previously spent ten years at Authentic as Head of Development, helping build the company into a powerhouse in unscripted television. She created and later produced numerous hit series including Flipping Out, Toddlers & Tiaras, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, Listing Impossible, The Best Thing I Ever Ate, Ace of Cakes, and Knife Fight.
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