Beth Hoppe Official Biography

Beth Hoppe is the senior vice president for Long Form at ABC News, overseeing programming including “20/20”, “Nightline”, network specials, and all ABC News long form content for other Disney platforms including Hulu, Disney+, and National Geographic. Recent productions include “24 Hours: Assault on the Capitol” and “OnlyFans – Selling Sexy” for Hulu, multi-part series “The Con”, and “The Genetic Detective” for ABC, the follow doc “Into the Unknown: The Making of Frozen 2” for Disney+, and “The Virus Hunters” for National Geographic. She is based in New York and reports to the president of ABC News.

Prior to joining ABC News she was the Chief Program Executive and General Manager for General Audience Programming at PBS, growing the network from the 12th to the 6th most-watched in America. During her tenure, she commissioned two seasons of the acclaimed drama “Mercy Street,” a civil war medical drama set in Alexandria, Virginia; partnered with the BBC to generate science and natural history specials; and developed multiplatform strategies for new independent films, including the Oscar®-nominated film “Last Days in Vietnam” from director Rory Kennedy, and “The Black Panthers” from director Stanley Nelson working closely with WGBH and “The American Experience”. Hoppe collaborated with filmmaker Ken Burns to develop the strategy and rollout for “The Roosevelts,” the most-watched factual program on PBS, and “The Vietnam War.” Under her guidance, PBS had more News and Documentary Emmy® Award wins than any other network in 2016 and 2017.

Hoppe commissioned and acquired new series and specials for PBS, including “Finding Your Roots with Skip Gates,” “Genealogy Roadshow,” “In Their Own Words,” “The Great British Baking Show,” “Call the Midwife,” “Last Tango in Halifax,” and “Vicious.” She also launched timely specials including programming commemorating the anniversary of the assassination of JFK and the march on Washington.

Hoppe also oversaw all of PBS’ award-winning programs, including “Frontline,” “PBS Newshour, Masterpiece,” “NOVA,” “Nature,” “American Experience,” “American Masters” and “Great Performances.” Before taking on the top programming job at PBS, Hoppe served as Vice President of Programming, overseeing natural history, science, history, and news and public affairs programming.

Before PBS, Hoppe was an executive producer at Discovery Networks where she oversaw the series “Curiosity,” and developed and produced science projects for Discovery Studios. Prior to her time at Discovery, Hoppe was President and CEO of Optomen Productions USA, a New York-based television production company that she started from its inception. At Optomen she executive produced numerous successful programs and series for Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, Travel Channel, PBS and The Food Network. Her productions which turned into long-running series include “Monsters Inside Me” for Animal Planet, “Most Evil” for Discovery and I.D,, “Worst Cooks in America” for Food Network, “Mysteries of the Museum” for Travel Channel, “Evolve” for The History Channel, “Mars: Quest for Life” and “Are We Alone?” for Discovery and Science Channel, “Can Animals Predict Disaster?” for PBS’ Nature strand, and “Gangland Graveyard” for “Secrets of the Dead.”

Prior to joining Optomen, she was Thirteen/WNET’s Director of Science Programs, where she acted as executive producer of PBS’s Emmy-nominated “Frontier House” and “Colonial House.” Working with the UK’s Channel 4, she created the long-running strand “Secrets of the Dead,” and oversaw numerous productions and co-productions including “1900 House,” “Savage Seas,” “Savage Earth,” “Savage Planet” and “Innovation.”

Hoppe started in news at WGBH in Boston where she directed “The Ten O’Clock News,” and went on to be series producer of “NOVA.” She began her career at New Hampshire Public Television where she directed and edited “New Hampshire Journal,” floor managed “Granite State Challenge,” and ran camera for many productions including “UNH Wildcat Hockey.” Her work has been recognized with several Emmy Awards. She won in 2004 for “DNA: The Human Race,” 2002 for “The Secret Life of the Brain” and 1995 for “NOVA, Siamese Twins.”

Hoppe serves on the board of the World Congress of Science and Factual Producers and frequently participates in panels at RealScreen, IDA, the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival and the New York Television Festival. She has served as a jury member for the Japan Prize and has been a judge of the News and Documentary Emmy Awards. She also has served on National Science Foundation grant review panels and has privately reviewed grants for other organizations, including the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

Hoppe earned her bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of New Hampshire.