Soap opera community photos scoops news buzz and celebrities

Conboy out. Ellen Wheeler takes control.

Proctor & Gamble Productions Brings in
New EP -- Current Actress Out!

Guiding Light Logo (c) PGP

As many of you may already know, John Conboy, who has held the reigns at Guiding Light for the last few years, was asked to step down to make way for a new Executive Producer. On February 23, 2004, Mary Alice Dwyer-Dobbin, Executive-in-Charge of Production for Procter & Gamble Productions, Inc.  announced that two time Emmy Award-winning actress, director, and producer Ellen Wheeler has been named Executive Producer of Guiding Light, effective immediately.

“This is a very exciting announcement for me to make,” explains Dwyer-Dobbin. “Ellen joined our Procter & Gamble family almost 20 years ago and has since been an invaluable asset working in almost every facet of production as an actress, director, and producer. Her genuine enthusiasm and creative, intelligent energy are infectious. She is one of the most well-respected people in our business, and that will serve her well as she takes the reigns of Guiding Light.”

“I am thrilled to be rejoining the Guiding Light family. I look forward to working with the talented cast and crew as we build on GL’s rich history and make it shine for future generations,” adds Wheeler herself.

Wheeler’s extensive background in daytime television includes her Emmy Award-winning portrayals of twins Marley Hudson and Victoria Love on Another World, and of Cindy Parker on All My Children. She has also appeared on Dark Shadows and The Bold and the Beautiful.

Wheeler has been working behind-the-scenes as a Director on Procter & Gamble’s As the World Turns since July 1999, during which time the show received two Emmy Awards for “Outstanding Daytime Drama Series,” and Wheeler and the directing team received three consecutive Emmy Award-nominations. In 2002 she produced and directed at Guiding Light, prior to returning to her directing post at As the World Turns in 2003.

A native of Cedar City, UT, Wheeler resides in Manhattan with her husband Shannon and their two children.

On the heels of the appointment of new executive producer Ellen Wheeler, two-time Emmy nominee Lindsey McKeon (Marah) is leaving the show. McKeon's initial requests to make an early exit from GL had been denied, "so this was sort of a shock to me," she says candidly.

McKeon (pictured at right in this PGP photo) is looking at the sunnier side of her imminent departure — literally. She's moving back to her home base in Los Angeles. "My family's there and all my friends, so it's going to be wonderful to be back and have my support group around me again," she says. "I've got a bunch of scripts I'm reading right now, and I'm excited to work on new things."

That doesn't make leaving the Big Apple any easier for the actress. "They've become a family to me," she declares of her GL cast and crew. "And I will miss New York terribly. It's so charming here, I've grown to love it."Setside sources say that McKeon's exit is story line dictated.

< Prev		Next >