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EXCLUSIVE: Nearly a decade into their time at Mainstay Entertainment, Derek Van Pelt and Ray Moheet have been upped to co-CEOs.
In their new roles, Van Pelt and Moheet will oversee day-to-day operations at Mainstay. They’ll continue to work with founder and chairman Norman Aladjem — who previously held the title of CEO — on strategic direction and the company’s long-term growth, while also continuing to fulfill their management and producing responsibilities.
“This announcement reflects both the history and the future of Mainstay Entertainment,” Aladjem told us. “We founded the company around a shared belief in thoughtfully architecting artists’ careers and helping them tell their stories — a philosophy Ray and Derek have consistently embodied for nearly a decade. I’m excited to continue to work closely with them in this next chapter.”
Both Van Pelt and Moheet have been manager/producers at Mainstay Entertainment since its inception in March 2017.
In television, Van Pelt’s credits as executive producer include MSNBC’s The Turning Point, Showtime’s The World According to Football, The Great American Joke Off, Nickelodeon’s Kid of The Year, and numerous comedy specials, such as Roy Wood Jr. : Lonely Flowers, Trevor Noah: Where Was I, and Josh Johnson: # (Hashtag).
Moheet has produced films including Before I Go starring Annabella Sciorra, A Simple Wedding starring Rita Wilson and Shoreh Aghdashloo, and Jimmy Vestvood starring Maz Jobrani and John Heard. Additionally, he’s exec produced Blumhouse/Hulu’s Into the Dark and comedy specials including The Birds and the Bees and Immigrant from Maz Jobrani and Heather McDonald’s I Don’t Mean to Brag.
Said Moheet and Van Pelt in a joint statement on their promotions: “We’re honored by the trust that’s been placed in us and grateful for the opportunity to continue building the company together. The work ethic, values, and approach that have guided us from the beginning remain unchanged, and we’re excited to lead the business forward alongside Norm and this incredible team.”
Clients at Mainstay Entertainment include David Archuleta, Tisha Campbell, Kim Coates, Rachael Leigh Cook, James Frain, Samantha Hanratty, Katherine Heigl, Laurie Holden, Chris Lee, Maz Jobrani, Aaron McGruder, Omar Benson Miller, Trevor Noah, Hayden Pannettiere, Danielle Pinnock, Laura Prepon, Zach Sang, and Roy Wood Jr.
In film, Mainstay’s development projects include an adaptation of Trevor Noah’s bestselling memoir Born a Crime and the genre-bending vampire western The Sun Always Sets in the West for Lionsgate, which has a 2026 start date. On the small screen, they’re developing Patti Stanger’s Strike a Match series for The CW, Disappeared: The Bradley Sisters for Discovery ID, De Viajes Con Los Derbez for Univision and Amazon International, and a series of I Am documentaries for The CW. Most recently, it was announced that they’re exec producing Martha’s Vineyard v. DeSantis, the upcoming documentary for MSNBC and Peacock.
English (US) ·