Sony Pictures Television Studios hires Charter & NBC veteran to succeed Jeff Frost as president

Better Call Saul

Sony Pictures Television (SPT) Studios has appointed former Charter Communications’ Spectrum Originals exec Katherine Pope to take over from the outgoing Jeff Frost as president.

Reporting to Ravi Ahuja, chairman of global television studios and Sony Pictures Entertainment corporate development, Pope will join the studio on 22 August to take charge of all domestic scripted productions. She replaces Frost, who last month announced he would be stepping down from the position in September, following a 15-year stint with the company.

Pope most recently served as head of original content at Charter Communications, where she created and launched the Spectrum Originals platform, and curated a slate of series such as the upcoming A Spy Among Friends, as well as Beacon 23, Panhandle and George & Tammy. She was also responsible for greenlighting LA’s Finest, the limited series revival of Mad About You, Angela Black and Joe Pickett, which became Spectrum Originals’ most-watched series.

Katherine Pope

Pope also executive produced, along with Elizabeth Meriwether, the Hulu limited series The Dropout, based on the podcast of the same name.

Prior to Charter, Pope launched the TV division at Peter Chernin’s Twentieth Century Fox-based production company, where she oversaw all creative development and production and executive produced series including New Girl.

Pope also spent 10 years at NBC/NBC Universal Television Studios where she served in a number of leadership roles including EVP of the network and president of the studio, where she developed shows including Heroes, Friday Night Lights, 30 Rock, and The Office.

SPT scripted productions meanwhile include globally successful shows including The Crown, Better Call Saul, The Good Doctor, The Boys, Cobra Kai, Sex Education, and upcoming titles such as A League of Their Own, Accused and Twisted Metal.

“Katherine has proven herself as a dynamic leader with impeccable taste and the ability to successfully develop and produce content that resonates with audiences. She is an excellent fit for this role and I’m delighted that she has chosen to join us at SPT,” said Ahuja.

“Katherine brings vast experience that will help us build on the overall strength of our global production capabilities at the studio. With Katherine leading our scripted production business in the U.S. and Wayne Garvie leading our international production business, we have an incredible leadership team dedicated to working with the industry’s top talent to produce undeniable content around the world,” he continued.

“I have long admired the creativity and high-quality work SPT consistently produces and can’t wait to explore all the opportunities that lie ahead,” added Pope.