Frank Rich, an Op-Ed columnist for the New York Times, signed on with HBO as a creative consultant, Reuters reports.

Rich will contribute to the network’s original programming development, and could become a producer on any projects he helps shepherd. He said his role would be “to bring ideas, to vet ideas, everything from comedies to documentaries to docudramas.” According to HBO executives, they approached Rich several months ago about a working relationship.

Frank Rich will not write for the Times on anything regarding the cable channel or its Time Warner parent. “It’s pretty easy to avoid, and not the subject of my columns,” said Rich, quoted by the same source. He also mentioned he is far from alone at the newspaper in terms of employees with extracurricular roles at TV networks, as political writer John Harwood and technology columnist David Pogue collaborate with CNBC.

HBO does not usually hire creative consultants, though its programming group president Richard Plepler added that it is not something the network is looking to do on a regular basis.

From 1980 to 1993, Rich was the Times’ chief theater critic. He also authored the book “The Greatest Story Ever Sold: The Decline and Fall of Truth from 9/11 to Katrina”, a criticism of the post-9/11 policies of the George W. Bush administration. In the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign, Rich seemed to have aligned himself with democratic candidate Barack Obama, as he often wrote several editorials in support of him or in criticism of Obama’s opponents.