• by Sara Guaglione , July 19, 2018

New York Post is doubling down on video production, with the creation of a new division focused on scripted and unscripted television projects.

The aim is to bring the newspaper's resources, intellectual property and voice to audiences on cable, OTT, broadcast television and emerging platforms.

Troy Searer will serve as the president of the division, called New York Post Entertainment.

"There are television series that appear every day in the Post, and so many amazing reporters, storytellers and characters in the organization — our goal is to bring them to life in the form of provocative scripted and unscripted television," stated Searer.

Searer, who is based in LA, will work closely with Warren Cohen, the New York Post's vice president of video,who is based in New York. Cohen built the company's digital video platform.

Jesse Angelo, CEO and publisher of the New York Post, told Variety that the division will draw from “200 years of New York history” for scripted TV projects, as well as documentaries, docu-series and docu-soaps for the unscripted side.

This isn’t the newspaper's first foray into television. “Page Six TV” — its nationally syndicated celebrity news and gossip show born from its popular Page Six vertical — debuted last September. It has been renewed for a second season.

Angelo told Variety that “Page Six TV” showed “that we could swim in these waters, and we wanted to take it to the next level.”

He added there are “a couple other deals in development, a couple other projects that we’re working on, and I just realized the time had come to get somebody to head up these efforts out of Los Angeles and take it to the next level.”

Searer has executive produced shows for A+E, VH1 and TLC through his production company, Tijuana Entertainment.

Most recently, he executive produced the scripted series “Manhunt: Unabomer” on Discovery and is currently executive producing his third season of the DiscoveryID unscripted series “Betrayed.”

New York Post is joining other publishers, like Outside, Wired and The Hill, which have recently created video studios and OTT channels to push into the format.

According to the latest 360 Brand Audience Report from MPA – The Association of Magazine Media, audiences consuming video magazine media grew 24% in May 2018 versus May 2017.