Christian Sarabia Exiting as President of ‘Below Deck’ Producer 51 Minds

Banijay Americas is undergoing changes in the C-suite of its unscripted TV business.

Christian Sarabia is stepping down as president of 51 Minds Entertainment, the producer of Bravo’s Below deck franchise, Netflix Marriage or mortgageand VH1s TI & Tiny: Friends and family hustle. Sarabia was promoted to president of 51 Minds in 2014, just a few years after it was acquired by Endemol (Endemol would sell itself to Banijay in 2020).

Julie Pizzi, president of Bunim/Murray Productions, will oversee 51 Minds and will continue to report to Ben Samek, CEO of Banijay Americas.

“I would like to thank Christian for all he has given to 51 Minds Entertainment, especially over the past ten years as president, and wish him tremendous success as he plots his next adventure,” Samek said in a statement. “Julie Pizzi is one of the most successful and productive executives in the industry and a powerful storyteller. She has had an extraordinary impact as president of BMP, and I am so pleased she has agreed to add 51 Minds to her watch.”

“51 Minds has been my home for twenty years, and the decision to leave was not an easy one. While I will truly miss the extraordinary team that makes it such an incredibly creative and vibrant place, I look forward to building something new in my next chapter and continuing to contribute to the pop culture landscape,” said Sarabia. He added: “When I shared my plans with Ben, his support was overwhelming. I am grateful to him and Banijay and am thrilled to see Julie, a brilliant leader and colleague, take charge of a company that has meant so much to me.”

51 Minds and BMP are among a number of production companies owned by Banijay Americas, which also owns Endemol Shine North America, Truly Original and Authentic Entertainment, all dominant players in the unscripted TV space.