Karen O'Hare Takes Reins as VP of Original Movies for Syfy Network

Karen O'Hara, one of the key architects behind popular Syfy Saturday Original Movies such as Dinoshark, Lake Placid 3, Carny and Meteor Storm, has been promoted to Vice President, Original Movies, it was announced today by Thomas Vitale, Executive Vice President, Programming/Original Movies, Syfy, to whom she reports.

In this role, O'Hara oversees the development and production of more than 20 Syfy Saturday Night Original Movies per year, including upcoming films such as Red, Mega Python vs Gatoroid and Sharktopus. Previously, she was Director, Original Movies.

O'Hara is based in Syfy's New York office.

Said Vitale: "As an invaluable member of our film team, Karen's creative insights and acumen have helped propel our Saturday Original Movies into the mainstream of American pop culture."

O'Hara joined Syfy in January 2005 as a consultant before being named Director, Original Movies in April 2006. Previously, she served as Manager, Film and Talent Evaluation at HBO, where she helped create the Film and Talent Evaluation department, which was designed to discover new talent and product. Before that, she worked as a story analyst, documentary researcher, acquisitions consultant and creative producer on the Cinemax After Dark series.

O'Hara began her career in the entertainment business more than 20 years ago as a performer in a traveling children's show.

Syfy is a media destination for imagination-based entertainment. With year round acclaimed original series, events, blockbuster movies, classic science fiction and fantasy programming, a dynamic Web site (www.Syfy.com), and a portfolio of adjacent business (Syfy Ventures), Syfy is a passport to limitless possibilities. Originally launched in 1992 as SCI FI Channel, and currently in more than 96 million homes, Syfy is a network of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies.