Alliance Atlantis has rearranged its programming execs following the departure of Laura Michalchyshyn – dividing all of its 17 specialty channels between SVPs John Gill and Kirstine Layfield. Gill is now in charge of AAC’s drama outlets including Showcase and its spin-offs, while Layfield, fresh from launching the Fine Living digichannel, will head up all lifestyle channels.

AAC also pinkslipped Erica Benson from her programming spot at Life Network and Discovery Health, and shuffled several other execs. Jody Read is the new programming boss for Discovery Health, BBC Kids and BBC Canada, while Karen Gelbart now will program HGTV, Fine Living and the Food Network. Vanessa Case, formerly head of HGTV, now runs Life and the National Geographic Channel. All three report to Layfield.

Reporting to Gill are Cindy Witten, new VP of programming for History, and Emily Morgan, doing the same at Showcase Action, Showcase Diva and Independent Film Channel. A third VP will be hired to fill the VP spot at Showcase.

The musical chairs have pushed back plans for a meeting between indie producers and AAC’s lifestyle execs, now slated for sometime in February.

AAC programming czar Norm Bolen says the ‘cabinet shuffle’ will not disrupt business at the Showcases, which are among the company’s strongest assets. Gill and the new VP will work with Showcase’s Tara Ellis and Daniel Eves, who are still in place and still in charge of original programming and acquisitions, respectively.

‘That doesn’t really change. John is the go-to guy in terms of the big-picture philosophy at Showcase’ and its sister channels, says Bolen. Gill was previously SVP for AAC’s factual channels and before that programmed TVOntario.

As reported previously in Playback, Michalchyshyn, the driving force behind many Showcase winners such as Trailer Park Boys, Kink and Curb Your Enthusiasm, left AAC in December to program the Sundance Channel.

-www.allianceatlantis.com