News & Press

February202018

Real Housewives of New Jersey producer Sirens Media has tapped veteran TV executive and producer Jessica Sebastian-Dayeh as president. In addition, company founders Rebecca Toth Diefenbach and Valerie Haselton will transition to creative directors of Sirens Media, part of ITV America production group.

In her new role as president, Sebastian-Dayeh will have responsibility for all content creation across a range of genres for broadcast, cable and streaming platforms. She will report jointly to ITV America CEO David George and ITV America President Adam Sher.

Sebastian-Dayeh joins Sirens Media from her role as SVP of development at ITV Entertainment, also part of ITV America, where since 2016 she has spearheaded development for the production label, creating and producing series and formats such as The Four: Battle for Stardom for Fox, just picked up for its second season, and Four Weddings, which returns to TLC later this year.

Founded in 2005 by producing partners Toth Diefenbach and Haselton,Sirens Media will continue to focus on female and pop-culture-focused content such as hit docuseries The Real Housewives of New Jersey, which just finished its 8th season on Bravo, and crime-focused programming such as Discovery’s The Killing Fields, ID’s Who Killed Jane Doe?, among others. Sirens Media was acquired in 2013 by then-independent Leftfield Entertainment, which subsequently was acquired by ITV in 2014. Toth Diefenbach and Haselton will remains hands-on as creators and producers.

“As a high-level executive with network and production expertise, and serious creative chops in pop culture-driven content, Jessica is perfectly positioned to lead Sirens “Media as it heads into a new chapter at ITV America,” said George and Sher in a joint statement. “We are confident her talent, skill and ingenuity will continue to resonate with buyers as she shepherds compelling content that elevates and evolves the Sirens brand.”

George and Sher added, “We’re thrilled that Rebecca Toth Diefenbach and Valerie Haselton will be working with ITV America as creative directors, with emphasis on Sirens Media’s crime-focused programming. Their expertise in this space cannot be overstated; it has been transformative for Sirens and for the unscripted industry.”

“ITV America’s culture of teamwork and creative risk-taking, balanced with the highest levels of client service and fiscal responsibility, has been a great fit for me and a key part of my trajectory at ITV Entertainment, and now at Sirens Media,, addied Sebastian-Dayeh. I am thrilled for the opportunity to lead this unique brand and I look forward to bringing even more exciting, edgy and unique content to the marketplace.”

“We feel very fortunate to have built Sirens Media at a time when unscripted was changing the face of television, and to have grown the company while the industry was also maturing,” said Toth Diefenbach and Haselton. “We know that in the hands of Jessica Sebastian-Dayeh, Sirens will be at the forefront of the next wave of programming, delivering for the powerful and discerning female audience. We want to express our appreciation to David George and Adam Sher as well, and we look forward to, quite literally, remaining their partners in crime!”

Prior to her tenure at ITV Entertainment, Sebastian-Dayeh was head of alternative programming at USA Network where she oversaw production on multiple seasons of hit series Chrisley Knows Best, as well as the series First Impressions with Dana Carvey and WWE’s Tough Enough, among others. Previously, she was vice president of current and development at Electus, and also served as senior director of development at the Style network and as vice president of development at Original Media.