Exclusive: Apple TV+ hires StudioCanal alum as first French originals exec

Swan Song

Apple TV+ is spreading its commissioning reach across Europe with its first senior hire in France, TBI has learned.

Georgetta Curavale will lead on all Apple TV+ originals in the country and reports into Jay Hunt, the streamer’s creative director for Europe.

The streamer has been ramping up its French output lately, with Liaison from Ringside Studios marking its first original from the country, swiftly followed by Swan Song from Anonymous Content and Concordia Studio.

Curavale will now oversee further expansion and joins having most recently been EVP of scripted at Endemol Shine France, which she joined in January 2021 following a seven-year spell at Django distributor-producer StudioCanal.

During that time, she held roles including international acquisitions manager and was most recently VP of production & development for TV series at the firm, working with its former EVP of production, Dominique Farrugia, who joined Endemol Shine France in 2020.

Prior to that she had been at French pay TV giant Canal+, a sibling to Studiocanal, where she was senior manager for foreign fiction acquisitions across TV series, miniseries and TV movies.

Curavale was behind deals that saw series including Gomorra, House Of Cards, Ray Donovan and Generation War landing on the French pay broadcaster.

The appointment marks another step in the steadily expanding reach of Apple TV+ across Europe, which has been led by former Channel 4 exec Hunt since 2018.

TBI understands the streamer is set to name a new Italian commissioning executive in the coming weeks, joining existing senior execs in Europe such as former BBC factual chief Alison Kirkham, who joined the UK-based operation in 2020.

Apple TV+ is riding high at present having become the first streaming service to claim the coveted Best Picture gong at the Academy Awards last month.

The film is based on 2014 French movie La Famille Bélier and claimed all three awards for which it was nominated, with Troy Kotsur picking up Best Supporting Actor and Heder winning Best Adapted Screenplay. Apple also received three nominations for The Tragedy Of Macbeth, including Best Actor.