Marc Etkind is senior vice president, content strategy for Destination America, the only network dedicated to the people, places and stories of the United States. Etkind is the senior leader for the brand, with primary responsibility for developing new content and business strategies. Joining the portfolio of Discovery brands with its debut on Memorial Day, 2012, Destination America has already made its mark with several successful series under Etkind’s leadership, including BBQ Pitmasters, A Haunting, Epic and Buying Alaska.

Etkind joined Discovery in 2007 as vice president, development for Animal Planet, where he was responsible for the conceptualization and creation of series and stunts that helped move the network from a niche animal channel to a bold new entertainment destination. With hits including Finding Bigfoot, Pitbulls and Parolees, and Call of the Wildman, Etkind proved himself an aggressive and creative brand-expanding executive.

Prior to Discovery, he served as senior director of historical programming at History Channel, working on original series including Dogfights, Superhumans, Tougher in Alaska and Gangland.

Previously, he was president of Pinball Productions, where he produced content for Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and History Channel. Before Pinball, Etkind was a staff producer for the PBS series Scientific American Frontiers with Alan Alda and produced interactive exhibits for museums and science centers.

Etkind is also the author of Or Not to Be, a fascinating collection of suicide notes by the famous, including Kurt Cobain, Vincent Van Gogh, Diane Arbus, Sylvia Plath and Virginia Woolf.

Speaking on: Amping Up Unscripted