Nathan Varni, Executive Director, ABC Network Current Programming talks about Diversity and Inclusion within TV production with Ideagen Hollywood Guest Host Steven James Tingus.

Background: Nathan Varni has had a hand in shaping some of your favorite ABC Shows. From General Hospital to Grey's Anatomy, he oversees the ABC TV shows currently in production and active development. He juggles the requirements of all the current television shows on ABC TV (part of the Disney Group) to ensure they’re all on TV as scheduled. Varni currently oversees Gray’s Anatomy, Station 19, Rebel, and The Connors.

When new shows have four to six produced episodes, they are managed by Varni’s team to develop and produce further episodes. Ensuring the script to screen pipeline is maintained is only part of Varni’s role. “We deal with a host of other departments including marketing, broadcasting standards, scheduling, digital and social media.”

ABC Current Programming also liaises between showrunners and the relevant departments and studio executives. Varni is also in charge of distributing network notes to them regarding their respective shows. “This is normally a collaborative conversation between the showrunners and the studio executives to ensure that the TV show we bought, in the beginning, is the show we continue to make.” Varni ensures the characters, plots and storylines stay on track with what makes sense for the series.

The team also takes fresh or alternative story pitches, outlines and scripts that showrunners may have. They also look at rough cuts of their TV shows for approval. “It’s essentially like being a project manager.” Occasionally Nathan Varni may offer his thoughts to showrunners or network executives on the direction of a particular show. The writers of long-running shows like Gray’s Anatomy know the characters inside and out, so he might only have a thought or two to contribute. “It’s a well-oiled machine and I just tend to listen to what the writers want to explore. We have a great trust with them.” They rarely dictate stories and prefer to honor the showrunner’s creative vision. The studio may occasionally step in if a storyline doesn’t tonally fit the show.

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