MGM’s Big Fish taps Sirens’ development exec

MGM’s Big Fish Entertainment, the production house behind Live PD, has appointed Sirens Media’s Daniel Markell as senior vice president of development.

Markell, who will report to chief creative officer Lucilla D’Agostino, will shepherd the company’s unscripted and scripted content development for linear, digital and streaming platforms.

He will also look for new brand and talent partnership opportunities, while managing the company’s development team.

Prior to joining the Big Fish team, Markell served as senior vice president of development at Sirens Media, overseeing the label’s development slate and team.

Joining in 2014, Markell developed series such as unscripted relationship format The Letter for Freeform, Cheap Eats for Cooking Channel, and Twirl Life for TLC.

D’Agostino said: “Big Fish has experienced tremendous growth this year, and we’re positioning ourselves to continue on that trajectory in a strategic and sustainable way.

“We’re very excited to welcome Daniel to the team whose instincts for incredibly sharp and envelope-pushing content will help us keep setting the bar higher, and explore new creative territory across all platforms.”

Big Fish was recently acquired by MGM as part of the studio’s endeavor to expand its roster of television industry-leading unscripted producers and production companies. The company remains based out of its current New York City headquarters.