After 25 Years, Veteran ABC Executive Brandon Stoddard Reveals Plans to Step Down in June

Veteran ABC executive Brandon Stoddard announced Wednesday that he will leave the company in June after 25 years, most recently as head of the network’s in-house production arm.

Stoddard, 57, has headed ABC Productions since it was founded in 1989, overseeing the unit’s involvement in such shows as the critically acclaimed “My So-Called Life” and “Me and the Boys.”

Prior to that, he was president of ABC Entertainment, a post he left after he tired of being an administrator.

During his career at ABC, Stoddard was instrumental in the development of movies of the week. “The Day After,” which Stoddard was responsible for, remains the most-watched movie ever made for television.

Stoddard said it “is the right personal time” to step down, adding that he is considering other opportunities, some of which involve ABC parent Capital Cities/ABC.

He started at the company in 1970 as director of daytime programs.