Animal Planet (Silver Spring, U.S.): Michael Cascio resigned from his roles as general manager and executive VP for AP on December 31, exactly two and a half years after his appointment. Prior to joining the cable network, Cascio spent 18 months at NBC News as VP of cable programming development. Cascio left AP to pursue other interests. At press time, his replacement had not yet been named.

Michael Hoff Productions (Emeryville, U.S.): After two and a half years with the prodco, Bridget Whalen has left her position as director of business development for Michael Hoff Productions to join the National Geographic Channel U.S. as director of development. MHP also announced that Anke Pahmeyer has returned from a leave-of-absence to the position of SVP.

Discovery Networks International (Silver Spring, U.S.): The people who bring you Celebrity Shark Week have been shuffling VP portfolios. Luis Silberwasser has been promoted to SVP, international strategic planning (DNI and DCI), Emilio Pardo is now SVP, special projects, for Discovery Networks U.S. and Laura Frankel has been upped to SVP, content support services (DNI).

Do It Yourself Network (Knoxville, U.S.): One of the four cable networks belonging to New York-based Scripps Productions, DIY Network has drafted Freddy James as its director of programming. James, who joined the Scripps team in 1997 as an associate producer, takes charge of all aspects of several commissioned productions and acquisitions. He will also handle programming requests and proposals from outside producers.

Thura Film (Copenhagen): Carsten Holst has been named CEO and producer by the prodco. In a surprise career shift, Holst decided to leave his role as producer and editor-in-chief of Hvidore, Denmark-based Zentropa Real, the doc arm of Lars von Trier’s Zentropa Productions. Signe Birket-Smith has been drafted in to replace him.

Wildscreen Trust (Bristol, U.K.): The international non-profit’s chief exec, Jane Kirsh, has opted for a career hiatus. Harriet Nimmo, director of ARKive, the organization’s Web-based library of wildlife footage, replaces Kirsh, and Colin Butfield climbs aboard as the new Wildscreen Festival director. Butfield makes the shift from his role as head of events and marketing communications for Raleigh International. Richard Edwards, ARKive’s media production manager, steps up to fill Nimmo’s post.