Longtime reality television producer Craig Piligian will leave his role as managing director of Lionsgate Alternative Television at the end of this year, a decade after selling majority stake of his Pilgrim Media Group for around $200 million to the entertainment company.
“We’ve had a great 10-year run together,” Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer said in a statement. “Craig helped us build our brand in the unscripted space, guided us through the pandemic and assisted with the eOne acquisition. He’s a good friend and a great entrepreneur, and we look forward to continuing to work closely with him as a consultant and producer on a number of unscripted series.”
Piligian will remain a consultant for the company and executive produce several projects after exiting the executive role. The reasons for his exit were not immediately revealed, though he is expected to continue his entrepreneurial efforts, according to an individual with knowledge of the decision.
Piligian joined Lionsgate in 2015 following the majority stake sale of his Pilgrim Media Group. He reupped his deal in 2021 and expanded his purview to include the studio’s unscripted operation, which became Lionsgate Alternative Television after the company’s acquisition of eOne. Piligian sold his remaining stake in Pilgrim Media Group to Lionsgate in 2024.
Piligian’s exit comes as Lionsgate Alternative TV becomes more integrated into Lionsgate Television Group moving forward. Tom Huffman, who was promoted to Chief Creative Officer at Pilgrim in 2021 and now serves as EVP, Development, Lionsgate Alternative Television; Nicholas Caprio, EVP of Lionsgate Alternative Television; and Geno McDermott, Chief Creative Officer for Blackfin will now report to Kevin Beggs, Chair and Chief Creative Officer of Lionsgate Television Group.
Piligian is highly respected within the unscripted community. He launched Pilgrim Films & Television in 1997, and was a co-executive producer for the first three seasons of “Survivor,” kicking off massive change for the larger reality TV industry. Other hits under his belt include “American Chopper” for TLC, “Ghost Hunters” on Syfy and “The Ultimate Fighter,” which originated on Spike TV and now airs on ESPN, a move that got him into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2025.
Lionsgate Alternative Television and Piligian are repped by UTA.
The post Lionsgate Reality TV Exec Craig Piligian to Exit After 10 Years appeared first on TheWrap.
