Sony Pictures Television Names Joe D’Ambrosia EVP & GM Of Kids Programming Subsidiary Silvergate Media

Dade Hayes

Sony Pictures Television has named kids programming vet Joe D’Ambrosia has been named EVP & General Manager of its Silvergate Media subsidiary.

Starting on April 1, D’Ambrosia will be based at the Sony lot in Culver City, CA and also spend time with Silvergate’s teams in New York and London. Sony acquired Silvergate in 2019.

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Reporting to Ravi Ahuja, Chairman Global Television Studios and Sony Pictures Entertainment Corporate Development, D’Ambrosia will take over for Silvergate CEO Waheed Alli, who will step down this summer. Alli, a co-creator of Survivor, is an established figure in the worlds of media and politics is a member of the House of Lords in the UK.

Prior to Silvergate, D’Ambrosia spent a decade at Disney, most recently at Disney Junior, where he was SVP of original programming and general manager. He oversaw all extensions of the Disney Junior brand, on-and-off screen, plus development and production of Disney’s original programming content for kids ages 2 to 7 and acquisitions for the preschool demo.

“Joe has a proven track record in leading a successful children’s programming business and knows this unique segment inside and out. His extensive experience in all aspects of the business and his passion for bringing inspired children’s content to life make him a natural fit for the role,” said Ahuja. “Waheed has done a wonderful job in building Silvergate into a thriving, multi-faceted company and we are grateful for his leadership in delivering some of the most popular franchises in children’s entertainment. We wish him all the best for the future.”

Silvergate’s productions include Octonauts, Peter Rabbit, Hilda, and Chico Bon Bon: Monkey with a Tool Belt for Netflix, and Sunny Day for Nickelodeon. The company is in production on a number of commissions for new properties from partners such as Disney, Netflix and Ten Cent.

“I am thrilled to be joining Sony Pictures Television and Silvergate at such an exciting and pivotal time in kids’ entertainment,” D’Ambrosia said. “In my 10 years at Disney Junior, I have had the good fortune of working alongside one of the best teams in the business. This is the ideal next step to be collaborating with Ravi and the incredibly innovative and creative teams at Sony and Silvergate to produce world-class storytelling for kids and families around the globe.”

D’Ambrosia has overseen production and creative development for some of Disney Junior’s most popular series, including Doc McStuffins, Sofia the First, Muppet Babies, Elena of Avalor, Mira, Royal Detective and Marvel’s Spidey and his Amazing Friends. He also helped expand Mickey Mouse Clubhouse with development and production of multiple new series such as Mickey Mouse Funhouse.

Prior to Disney Channel, D’Ambrosia produced and developed children’s television programming and family films at Murray Hill 5 Productions, which he co-founded with partner Tom Teves. Together, they developed, wrote, and produced Astro Boy and created Golden Bridges, based on the classic book series Golden Books, for The Learning Channel. Before forming Murray Hill 5 Productions, D’Ambrosia helped launch Sony Pictures Family Entertainment, overseeing the development and production of numerous family films and TV series. He began his career at Nickelodeon where he launched their family film division.

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