Former Discovery Veteran Jane Latman Launches True-Crime Label With Wheelhouse
EXCLUSIVE: Jane Latman, who spent 20 years at Discovery, is getting back into the true-crime business.
Latman has launched Twist, a new crime and investigation production label, with Wheelhouse Entertainment.
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It comes 18 months after she left Warner Bros. Discovery as part of a restructure of Kathleen Finch’s U.S. Networks Group.
Latman was most recently head of HGTV and Food Network but she was also on the founding team of crime cable network Investigation Discovery (ID), where she spent a dozen years and led development.
She is the latest former Warner Bros. Discovery executive to set up a production company with Brent Montgomery’s Wheelhouse. In June 2022, former Food Network boss Courtney White launched lifestyle banner Butternut with Wheelhouse. Latman, in fact, took over running the food-focused cable network after White’s departure.
Latman, who will be based in New York, will serve as President of the company.
She joined Discovery in 2003, handling acquisitions for Discovery Times, a joint venture between the cable group and The New York Times. After a stint at the Military Channel, she was part of the team that turned Discovery Times into Investigation Discovery with series such as On the Case with Paula Zahn, Vanity Fair Confidential and In Pursuit with John Walsh.
In the crime space, she developed Into the Abyss, a critically-acclaimed feature documentary from Werner Herzog, and subsequent series On Death Row. She also worked with Paradise Lost director Joe Berlinger on Killing Richard Glossip and created the ID Films strand, which was behind Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four.
The move comes after Wheelhouse took investment from Alignment Growth, the investment vehicle from Jeff Bewkes and Kevin Tsujihara, marking the company’s first external funding. Wheelhouse plans to use some of this investment to invest in, launch and acquire production companies.
Wheelhouse already operates Spoke Studios, has partnerships with Jimmy Kimmel’s Kimmelot and David Chang’s Majordomo Media, and is an investor in Campfire, in addition to Butternut and Twist.
Latman said, “In my next chapter I wanted to focus on what I’ve been most passionate about and the most successful with and getting back to my roots in true crime has me charged up. At Twist, we will look at everything from premium, single-story docs and limited series to high-volume shows and ripped-from-the-headlines, quick-turn opportunities. Wheelhouse is building out an Avenger-style team of creatives who I’m already engaged with daily.”
Montgomery added, “Jane has created a huge volume of programming throughout her career and has seen and executed as much as anyone in both the crime and the lifestyle space, and built incredible relationships along the way. In addition to her running and growing Twist, I’m excited to tap her deep experience in different content spaces as she collaborates with our broader creative team and across our Wheelhouse companies and labels. This approach has helped deliver a unique one-two punch for our partners.”
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