Atlas Taps Kirby Sr. VP

NEW YORK — Atlas Media, one of the busiest producers of nonfiction programming in the U.S., has hired Kaki Kirby as senior VP of business development and special projects, a newly created post.

Kirby, formerly senior VP of Foxstar Prods., the reality-show unit of Fox TV Studios, will take on responsibility not only for development but for sales and marketing as well. She’ll report directly to Bruce David Klein, president and executive producer of Gotham-based Atlas.

Churning out more than 150 hours of programming annually, Atlas Media engineered an expansion of the company’s operations earlier this year, promoting Steve Friedman to senior VP of production and setting up a new division dedicated to home and lifestyle shows under the aegis of exec VP of programming Maria Lane.

Among Atlas’ current successes are “Breaking Vegas” on the History Channel, “Dr. G: Medical Examiner” on Discovery Health and “All Year Round With Katie Brown” on A&E.

Atlas is in production on upcoming Food Network series “Behind the Bash.” Giada De Laurentiis hosts the weekly show that details how party planners and catering companies put together a big event.

At Foxstar, Kirby supervised a staff of about 150 who produced shows for Fox Family, AMC, the History Channel, A&E, Travel Channel and National Geographic Channel.