Microsoft Studios looks beyond games with TV exec hire

As part of its ongoing efforts to turn the Xbox 360 into an all-inclusive media device, Microsoft has hired former CBS television executive Nancy Tellem, who will lead a new L.A. studio dedicated to creating interactive and non-interactive "storytelling experiences for the Xbox brand." Tellem, who will report to Microsoft Studios corporate VP Phil Spencer, is in charge of adding new types of entertainment to the Xbox platform that extend beyond traditional games. While Microsoft didn't reveal exactly what kind of entertainment Tellem will be producing, the company has already experimented with a number of projects that blend game-like interactivity with other forms of media. For instance, just this week the company published Kinect Nat Geo TV and Kinect Sesame Street TV, two Xbox 360 games that offer traditional video content alongside interactive motion-controlled activities. In addition, the company promised at E3 2012 that its SmartGlass technology would give Xbox users new ways to interact with their games and video content. Microsoft had previously tried to produce original video shows for Xbox Live such as "Major's Minute," and "Xbox 101," but those programs ceased production earlier this year.