About us

Meet the monsters.

The team at Story Monster is comprised of industry veterans working together with one goal: creating great TV.

Alex Duda

Alex Duda

Managing Partner

Five-time EMMY® Award-Winner Alex Duda has a wealth of experience creating, developing and show-running reality series, specials and live event coverage.  For nearly a decade, she worked with Telepictures Productions where she Created and Executive Produced the long-running late night dating strip show Elimidate and Executive Produced the Emmy Award Winning Tyra Banks Show.  Duda also produced one of The WB’s first reality specials, Seventeen: Faces for Fall, a celebrity-driven hour hosted by Shannen Doherty and Josh Jackson.  Additionally at Telepictures, Alex Executive Produced the Joan Rivers Red Carpet Coverage and Fashion Wrap specials for the TV Guide Channel.

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Duda began her career at E! Entertainment Television, where she was part of the development team that created the comedic strip show Talk Soup, on which she won her first Emmy as Executive Producer. At E!, Alex served as an Executive Producer and the Director of Programming and Development. She Created and Produced the makeover series Fashion Emergency and Model, both of which helped to launch the Style Network.  She Produced the Joan Rivers Live from the Red Carpet specials and Co-Created the Joan Rivers Fashion Reviews. Duda also produced numerous original specials and series at E! including Wild On the Riviera, E! Goes to Cannes, Hollywood Kids, Haunted Hollywood, Behind the Scenes and the E! Extreme Close up Interview.

Duda Created and Executive Produced Style Network’s mega-hit Jerseylicious, as well as Chicagolicious, The Glam Fairy and Built.  Duda also Executive Produced Find Me My Man for Oxygen.

Duda partnered with Endemol USA and NBC as the Executive Producer of the Emmy award-winning Steve Harvey daytime talk show.

Duda created and Executive Produced “The Kelly Clarkson Show” for NBC, the most honored daytime talk show of the past decade. Duda also Executive Produced “Songs & Stories” for NBC primetime as well as “When Christmas Comes Around”, a holiday musical special for NBC. Most recently, Duda Executive Produced “Chef’s Table Honors” for YouTube.

John Rieber

John Rieber

Managing Partner

John Rieber’s career in cable television began with the launch of a new network that changed the face of entertainment journalism. In December 1987, he was hired to launch a news division at a new cable network called Movietime.  This network became E! Entertainment Television in 1990. Rieber created the network’s signature red carpet coverage with the first national live arrivals coverage, and created the “ten-hour preshow” in 1997, the first time any network had broadcast such comprehensive live awards coverage in a single day.

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Rieber also launched “E! News Daily,” the network’s flagship live daily entertainment news program.  Rieber launched and executive produced "Howard Stern” on E!, a daily radio show that he turned into a TV program by installing robotic cameras in the radio control room, and built a miniature TV studio control room as well, the first time that had been attempted on such a scale. In addition, Rieber created the network’s Cannes Film Festival coverage, the most extensive television news coverage ever – capturing the world’s most prestigious film festival, resulting in the highest rated specials in the network’s history.

During his tenure at E!, Rieber also created such hit franchises as the “Wild On” travel series, and “Celebrity Adventures,” where stars such as Jessica Biel, Jerry O’Connell, Molly Shannon and Shannon Elizabeth were taken to exotic locations to experience different cultures.

In 1999, Rieber was profiled in Newsweek magazine as the “New Age Boss” for his focus on motivating all staff to participate in the process of growing a company.

Rieber formed Steamroller Entertainment in 2002 and, under that banner, created and executive produced two highly-rated specials for ABC-TV titled “Favorite Stars: Then & Now,” along with “Celebrity Temps” for NBC. In 2005, Rieber was the executive producer of “Cooking Under Fire,” a PBS documentary competition involving twelve Chefs who cook their way cross country – the first modern era cooking competition show to air on TV.  “Cooking Under Fire” was hosted by Chef Ming Tsai, Chef Todd English and Food Author Michael Ruhlman.

In 2006, Rieber became the Senior Vice President of Programming and Production for G4, a cable network targeting 18-34 year old males. Rieber oversaw all programming, development, acquisitions and scheduling of the network, which set new ratings and viewership records every year since he took over. Rieber re-branded G4 from a network exclusively about videogames to one that embraced technology, pop culture and information targeted to an active male demographic.

Rieber was promoted to Executive Vice President, Programming & Production in 2011.  In that position, Rieber was responsible for the development of all new programming for G4, as well as the acquisition of series, specials and movies for the network as well.

G4 now has a number of tent pole franchises under Rieber, including “American Ninja Warrior”, the US version of the acclaimed Japanese show involving the world’s toughest obstacle course. The latest season of this smash hit airs in summer 2012 on both G4 and NBC. This NBC partnership is the biggest of its kind between a cable network and broadcast partner, with ten hours of exclusive unique programming premiering on NBC in primetime.

Rieber also created the network’s exclusive live “Comic-Con” coverage, the first network to ever broadcast a live show from the floor of the world’s largest comic book and pop culture convention.  G4 also has more than twenty-five hours of live E3 coverage every year, and these tent pole events are the highest rated programs on the network.

Other signature hit shows overseen by Rieber included the daily live pop culture hit “Attack Of The Show”, the videogame review program “X-Play”, and other hit shows such as “Campus PD” and “Bomb Patrol: Afghanistan.” In 2000, Rieber executive produced “Royalty A-Z”, a comprehensive ten-hour series produced in conjunction with Edward Wessex, a member of the British Royal family.

Rieber Executive Produced “Art Breakers” for Ovation, and “Dollar Bill” with Bill Rancic, helping people create a better financial future for themselves and their families.

Jonna Walsh

Jonna Walsh

SVP of Production

Jonna Walsh is a multi-Emmy Award-winning production and operations executive with more than twenty-five years of experience leading large-scale live television, audience-facing programming, and complex operational environments across the media industry.

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Most recently, Walsh served as Head of Operations & Production Executive in Charge for NBCUniversal, where she oversaw multi-million-dollar productions including The Kelly Clarkson Show, nationally televised specials, and other high-profile live and daytime programming. Throughout her career, she has led complex cross-functional operations spanning production strategy, facility management, technical infrastructure, labor relations, budgeting, and large-scale team leadership.

Known for bringing clarity and structure to fast-moving creative environments, Walsh has built a reputation for aligning operational excellence with ambitious programming goals while creating systems that support both teams and talent. Over the course of her career, she has worked across a wide range of formats including feature films, documentaries, reality programming, daytime television, and live event productions for major media companies and platforms including NBCUniversal, YouTube, Netflix, OWN, TLC, Discovery, A&E, and MSNBC.

Walsh earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Arts from University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Kareen Gunning

Kareen Gunning

Senior Creative

Kareen Gunning is an award-winning entertainment producer and managing creative with more than 20 years of experience developing and producing talent-driven television, original unscripted programming, branded entertainment, and high-profile special projects.

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Most recently, Kareen served as an Executive Producer of The Kelly Clarkson Show, where she was part of the leadership team behind the Emmy-winning series from its launch through seven seasons and more than 1,200 episodes. Working closely with the showrunner, she helped shape the show’s creative vision and day-to-day production, overseeing teams of producers and creative staff while collaborating across talent, editorial, production, business affairs, legal, and brand partnerships.

Throughout her career, Kareen has built a reputation for bringing creative ambition and production discipline together—developing ideas, guiding talent-driven storytelling, and creating organic opportunities for brands to become part of the content without compromising the audience experience. Her work has included national and international brand partnerships, travel programming, major cultural and entertainment moments, and projects involving high-profile talent and public figures.

Her producing credits span NBCUniversal, Lionsgate, Endemol Shine, and independent production companies, with experience across talk, documentary-adjacent, unscripted, interview, and branded formats.

Kareen brings to Story Monster a combination of creative instinct, senior-level production leadership, talent experience, and a deep understanding of how to turn big ideas into compelling, executable content.

Kevin Burke

Kevin Burke

Creative Executive

25+ years in premium daytime, primetime specials, unscripted television and branded entertainment. Most recently Senior Co-Executive Producer of The Kelly Clarkson Show, leading creative and production across celebrity interviews, field pieces, music segments and branded content. Six-time Daytime Emmy winner.

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He rose from Supervising Field & Post Production Producer to Managing Director of Field and Post Production on Steve Harvey, overseeing every field and post workflow for a high-volume daily show, after nearly nine years in post at Telepictures on The Tyra Banks Show and The Sharon Osbourne Show, among others. Other credits include Dr. Drew's Lifechangers and Lopez Tonight.