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National Geographic Channel is expanding its East Coast development team, adding Nicole Reed as VP development and Igal Svet director, development. In addition, Naimah Holmes is relocating to New York as director, development, Heather Moran, Evp programming and strategy said today. Reed and Svet will report to Charlie Parsons, head of East Coast development, based in Washington, D.C.; while Holmes will report to Reed. They will be responsible for the development and the greenlight of new series and specials for the network, as well as building relationships with East Coast- and UK-based production companies. Reed joins Nat Geo Channel from A&E where she served as director, nonfiction and alternative programmings. She most recently developed and served as exec producer on upcoming series The Herbert Brothers and Big Smo (w.t.) and three seasons of A&E’s original series Barter Kings. Svet most recently served as VP development at 2C Media,...

Leading reality production company A. Smith & Co. Productions has added veteran unscripted producers Jay Bienstock and Eugene Young as co-managing directors. The two will join the A. Smith’s senior leadership team alongside CEO Arthur Smith, president Kent Weed, and COO Frank Sinton. Bienstock and Young have spent the last three years running Bienstock Young Media, producing more than a dozen pilot and series, including Animal Intervention on Nat Geo Wild, Big Food for Cmt, and Times Up at MTV. The company will now be dissolved, with A. Smith & Co absorbing part of the Bienstoc -Young production slate. Last year, Bienstock and Young formed a partnership with Jay and Phil McGraw, which yielded several pilots in contention at A&E. In their new roles at A. Smith & Co, Bienstock and Young are charged with expanding the company’s production slate, which currently includes Hell’s Kitchen, Kitchen Nightmares, American Ninja Warrior,...