Craig Engler is the senior vice president and general manager of Sci Fi Digital, and he’s enthusiastic about the upcoming change in name of the Sci Fi Channel to “Syfy” that is heading our way tomorrow, July 7. He talked with Wired.com about the future of the network and its other offerings, especially the many on-line features of its website.
“It’s a brand that catches up with our programming. It is our stake in the ground,” Engler said in the phone interview.
What’s eye-catching about the article is the emphasis on two of our Stargate stars: former SG-1 and SGA star Amanda Tapping (now with Sanctuary) and new-to-Stargate star Robert Carlyle (Stargate Universe), both of whom are featured in words and picture in the one-page “Underwire” feature. Make sure to visit Wired.com: Sci Fi Channel Reboots as Syfy With Eye on Expanding Empire by Scott Thill for what’s in store for Syfy both on-screen and on-line as the new name premieres tomorrow.
Of note for Stargate fans for Syfy’s special day:
- Stargate: The Ark of Truth and Stargate: Continuum will be aired at 2pm and 4pm, respectively.
- Sci Fi Becomes Syfy – Stargate Universe star Lou Diamond Phillips will be at the Rockefeller Plaza in New York, where he, along with Syfy’s Dave Howe and Scare Tactics’ Tracy Morgan, will open the “Imagination Playground.”
Stargate Universe will be premiering on Syfy in October (and Sanctuary will be returning for its second 13-episode season then, as well). Currently, the cast and crew are taking a month-long filming hiatus. They’ll be back in August to finish the first season, which will premiere at about the same time as principal photography ends.
In the meantime, you can follow Engler on Twitter at http://www.twitter.syfy. And, of course, we here at Solutions invite you to visit us often as we bring you more on what’s happening in the ever-expanding “empire” of Stargate (and we’re on Twitter, too)!