• by Paul Gough , May 6, 2004

The program executive responsible for CBS landing "Survivor" has jumped ship to NBC, the peacock network said Wednesday.

Ghen Maynard, who had most recently been senior vice president/alternative programming and creative strategies, will be the new executive vice president of primetime development at NBC Entertainment. He will report to incoming president of NBC Entertainment, Kevin Reilly.

Maynard's job will revolve around "locating and cultivating fresh new series programs," NBC said.

"Ghen is one of the smartest TV execs in town and has had a keen eye for finding and nurturing a number of breakout hits," said Reilly. "His contributions will make our number-one team even stronger."

At CBS, Maynard won acclaim for bringing "Survivor" aboard as well as "Big Brother," "The Amazing Race," "Star Search" and "Cupid." At UPN -- where he oversaw alternative programming for the fellow Viacom unit -- he developed "America's Next Top Model."

Before that, he was an executive in Drama Development at CBS from May 1997-June 2000. Among his scripted series commitments, he played a crucial role in developing the hit series "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" and the critically acclaimed "That's Life." His other scripted projects include the current dramas "Judging Amy" and "The District." Maynard began his career in television as a post-production coordinator at ABC Productions before becoming an assistant to producer Gene Stein, then head of comedy development at CBS.