Kevin Berg, a 25-year CBS veteran, is departing as Senior Executive Vice President, Production, CBS Network Television Entertainment.The departure is part of the ongoing consolidation across CBS Studios with Paramount TV Studios, which started when the two studios were put under the purview of George Cheeks last October. Liz Miller, EVP and Head of Production for Paramount TV Studios — and a CBS Studios alum — will now oversee production for both studios.The move was outlined in an internal memo sent to staff by Bryon Rubin COO and CFO of CBS Entertainment Group; to whom Miller reports, CBS Studios President David Stapf and Paramount Television Studios President Nicole Clemens. There will be a period of transition with other changes likely; no layoffs are expected at this time.In November, Cheeks, President and CEO, CBS, and Chief Content Officer, News and Sports, Paramount+, outlined his plan for the two studios, which included centralizing a number of its back-end functions by installing leaders across production, finance, law, business affairs and casting. At the time, it was announced that Berg would continue to oversee production for CBS Studios while Miller would do the same at PTVS. Production teams are now being combined in line with the consolidation in the other non-creative areas.“Looking to the future, this move is an extension of the Studios Group vision that George outlined for us in November: two best-in-class brands with their own leaders and separate creative teams, bolstered by streamlined support operations,” Rubin, Stapf and Clemens wrote in the memo.Berg, who went by the nickname “Dr. No” for his shrewd reputation of keeping costs under control, joined CBS in 1998 when the network’s fledgling production arm had three shows. He shepherded production around the world across all dayparts (morning, daytime, primetime and late-night) with the exception of news and sports. He was fiscally responsible for all production costs and schedules, and oversaw spending of more than $4 billion dollars in production costs a year.The veteran executive was involved with the launch and continued success of Star Trek, CSI and NCIS franchises, along with such shows as Blue Bloods, Seal Team, The Good Fight, Survivor, The Amazing Race, The Talk, Big Brother, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and The Late Late Show with James Corden.“Kevin’s monumental contributions to CBS’ success are far reaching and will be felt for years to come. We are grateful for his dedicated and valuable service to the company,” Rubin, Stapf and Clemens said.At PTVS, Miller oversaw production on such series as Prime Video’s Jack Ryan and Paramount+’s Grease: Rise Of the Pink Ladies. She joined the studio in 2019 from Netflix, where she worked on such series as Bridgerton and Outer Banks. Prior to that, Miller was SVP of Production at CBS Studios, where she managed over 15 ongoing drama and comedy series, including The Good Wife, Hawaii Five-O, Magnum P.I., Blue Bloods and Madam Secretary, among others. Miller also contributed to the launch of the network’s streaming platform, CBS All Access with Star Trek: Discovery and The Good Fight.“Liz is a tireless worker and an accomplished leader. She is a trusted partner with her counterparts at all the networks and streamers, as well as with producers across the globe, overseeing the production process as efficiently as possible, always with a smile and steady resolve,” Rubin, Stapf and Clemens.
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