Nellie Andreeva

In Universal Media Studios’ first major pod deal under new NBC chairman Bob Greenblatt, the studio has signed a three-year overall pact with former Brillstein Entertainment Partners President of Television Peter Traugott. The agreement had been in the works for the past couple of weeks. Traugott will develop and produce scripted comedy and drama series for NBC and other networks through a newly launched production company. Joining him in the new company will be another senor BEP TV executive, EVP Rachel Kaplan. I hear Traugott, who worked with Greenblatt at Fox years ago, was the first producer Greenblatt and his new top lieutenant Jennifer Nicholson Salke approached about joining the studio. “Peter is a widely respected and successful executive and producer with a savvy instinct for exceptional television,” said Greenblatt. “I’m thrilled that he wanted to join our re-emerging studio at NBC.”

Traugott called leaving Brillstein “a very tough decision.” “I’ve been here 15 years and they have become like a second family to me,” he said. “But the chance to work with Bob and his team at NBC, and be a part of what they’re building, was too good an opportunity to pass up.” Brillstein just signed a new two-year deal with ABC Studios and tapped JoAnn Alfano as the company’s new President of Television.

Traugott started at Brillstein Entertainment in 1996 as VP of development and served as President of Television for the past nine years. Under him, the company landed three pilot orders and one series pickup this past development season. Traugott served as an executive producer on the pilot for new series Ringer and is expected to continue to consult on the show, which landed at the CW. Prior to joining BEP, Traugott was Director of Current Programming for Fox. As EVP Television at BEP, Kaplan developed and sold over two dozen projects, including Ringer. Earlier, she was Head of Scripted Television at BermanBraun from 2007-09 and VP drama development at Warner Bros. TV.

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