CBC has tapped veteran TV maker Tom Hastings to head up production for drama, arts and entertainment, effective immediately.

Hastings was previously a production executive at Alliance Atlantis Communications, where he presided over 15 series for HGTV and the Food Network, and is credited with shifting both specialties toward documentary-based programming. He will report to Sally Catto, head of TV drama, arts and entertainment.

‘With his extensive connections in the Canadian production and literary communities and a proven track record managing productions, Tom is a valuable addition to the television arts and entertainment unit,’ said Catto in a release.

Hastings was also manager of research at National Geographic Channel Canada, where he worked on documentaries including Death on Everest, and is also credited as a writer on the docs Charles Lindbergh: The Lone Eagle and The Panama Canal for National Geographic Television USA.