EXCLUSIVE: Heather Kadin is going out on her own. After 12 years of running a TV production company, Alex Kurtzman’s Secret Hideout and its predecessor, Kurtzman and Bob Orci’s K/O Paper Products, as President of Television, Kadin is leaving to pursue other opportunities. Her exit is still being finalized, and it is unclear yet whether Kadin would continue as an executive producer on Secret Hideout’s projects in development, which she has shepherded.
“Heather and I have spent 12 extraordinary years together, and in that time she’s been a brilliant creative force whose passion and dedication have been felt by the many writers and directors we work with at Secret Hideout,” Kurtzman said. “I’m certain she’ll carry that passion into the next phase of her amazing career, I’m so grateful for the time we’ve shared, and I wish her every success and happiness on her bright road ahead.”
According to sources, CBS Studios offered Kadin a producing deal but, after eight and a half years at CBS/ViacomCBS, she opted to go to the marketplace and explore what is out there in terms of opportunities. I hear Kadin, whose deal was up, is open to remaining a producer — on her own or at a studio (she has been gravitating toward scrappy, independent outfits) — or possibly return to the executive ranks. Including her stints as executive at ABC and Warner Bros. TV, where she worked with Kurtzman, Kadin’s relationship with the writer-producer spans two decades.
“I’m incredibly proud of what our team, Alex and I were able to build at Secret Hideout and at K/O Paper Products,” Kadin said. “Over the past 12 years I’ve had the privilege of working with some of the best writers, actors and directors in television and I‘m excited to build on that in this next chapter of my career.”
Under Secret Hideout’s big overall deal with CBS Studios, Kadin was an integral part in expanding the Star Trek universe on CBS All Access/Paramount+, which is overseen by Kurtzman. Kadin, who will no longer be involved in the Star Trek franchise going forward, served as an executive producer on Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Picard starring Patrick Stewart, Star Trek: Short Treks; the animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks, the recently launched Star Trek: Prodigy and the upcoming Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
Other recent Secret Hideout series on which Kadin served as executive producer alongside Kurtzman include Showtime’s limited series The Comey Rule, the upcoming The Man Who Fell To Earth as well as Clarice on CBS.
Since joining K/O Paper Products in 2010, Kadin has served as an executive producer on KO/Secret Hideout’s CBS series Limitless, Salvation, Scorpion and Instinct. She also worked on the long-running CBS series Hawaii 5-0. Additionally, she executive produced Fox’s Sleepy Hollow under K/O’s overall deal at 20th Television.
Kadin began her television career in 2000 at ABC, where she worked closely with J.J. Abrams, Kurtzman and Orci on Alias. During her tenure, she played an integral part in getting Abrams’ series Lost off the ground and was involved in the development of other hit, long-running series such as Grey’s Anatomy and Desperate Housewives.
In 2004 Kadin joined Warner Bros. Television, where she re-teamed with Abrams, Orci and Kurtzman to develop the cult series Fringe. Kadin also had a key part in the development of The Closer, The Vampire Diaries and Supernatural.
Prior to transitioning to television, Kadin ran Tom Shadyac’s Shady Acres Entertainment where she worked on feature film projects such as Patch Adams, Bruce Almighty and I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry.