Hallmark’s Parent Company Snags Former Netflix Exec Lisa Hamilton Daly
Hallmark fans who are scratching their heads, wondering why the feel-good network didn’t develop the Netflix hits Virgin River and Sweet Magnolias, should now rejoice. Crown Media has hired Lisa Hamilton Daly.
Who is Lisa Hamilton Day, and what could she change?
Here is the latest news on the massive changes at Hallmark.
Lisa Hamilton Daly Has Replaced Hallmark’s Michelle Vicary
At Hallmark’s parent company, there have been a lot of changes since Wonya Lucas, CEO of Crown Media Family Networks took over for Bill Abbott. Lucas has made some changes at the top. That includes hiring Lisa Hamilton Daly.
According to the Crown Media press release, she has now replaced Michelle Vicary as the Executive Vice President of Programming at Crown Media. Vicary stepped down in May. That means she will be in charge of programming and development throughout all of the platforms. That includes the Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, and Hallmark Drama.
That’s not all! Hallmark has the AVOD platform, Hallmark Movies & More, as well as SVOD service, Hallmark Movies Now.
What do we know about the new EVP of Programming at Crown Media?
Lisa Hamilton Daly Put English Degree To Good Use
What do we know about Lisa Hamilton Daly, who will be overseeing future Hallmark content? First of all, she was an English major. Daly earned M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in English & American Literature & Language from Harvard University, in addition to a B.A. in English Literature from UCLA, where she graduated magna cum laude.
As for her experience, according to her LinkedIn page, she started as an editor at HarperCollins. She then went on to DreamWorks Studio, where she was the VP, Feature Development.
After five years there, she went over to A&E to become the VP of Programming between 2011-2018. Here she Daly developed and helped produce Lifetime Films. Lifetime is one of Hallmark’s biggest competitors. She changed the entire Lifetime game.
Some of these movies included Lila & Eve, with Viola Davis and Jennifer Lopez. Don’t forget Paris Can Wait with Diane Lane, and Alec Baldwin, and the Emmy-nominate Flint, with Queen Latifah. In addition, she was behind the 8-hour Flowers In The Attic mini-series.
Afterward, in January 2018, she went to Netflix. Daly became the Director of Original series. That includes the very popular Virgin River, Firefly Lane, Tiny Pretty Things, and Spinning Out, with Christmas Waltz fan favorite, Will Kemp. Suddenly, Netflix has begun to close in on Hallmark’s territory with popular, Hallmark-like series.
Lisa Hamilton Daly Named Crown Media Executive VP of Programminghttps://t.co/N7Pmf6diGl @BCMikeMalone
— Broadcasting & Cable (@bcbeat) September 2, 2021
What Is Next For Hallmark Series Shows?
Hallmark fans are now wondering what is next for their original series. Good Witch was canceled before Lisa Hamilton Daly. However, there are still Chesapeake Shores, Signed, Sealed, Delivered, and When Calls The Heart. The former could be suffering due to Jesse Metcalfe leaving the series. However, Hearties have made the latter a top show for the network.
What will Daly do compete with Lifetime and Netflix? We may soon get a hint. Fans won’t see any major program changes until 2022, but there could be some filming announcements before the new year begins.
What would you like to see change with Hallmark’s programming?
