BBCS-owned Voltage TV hires ‘Tinder Swindler’ exec to head up documentaries

Sam Starbuck

BBC Studios-owned unscripted label Voltage TV has appointed Sam Starbuck, exec producer of The Tinder Swindler, to the new role of creative director for documentaries.

Starbuck will join the Inside The Factory outfit in October, arriving from Dorothy St Pictures, where she serves as SVP of documentaries. Her credits there include Disney+ docuseries Coleen Rooney: The Real Wagatha Story, Netflix’s The Devil On Trial, and Desperately Seeking Soulmate: Escaping Twin Flames Universe for Amazon Prime Video.

At Voltage TV, which was acquired by BBC Studios late last year, she will oversee the documentary slate, including the upcoming Hunting Gary Glitter for Netflix. The UK firm, which was founded in 2013 by Sanjay Singhal and Steve Nam, is also behind The Fake Sheikh for Amazon Prime Video; The Hunt For Bin Laden for Channel 4/Art; DNA Journey for ITV and Tempting Fortune for Channel 4/Roku.

Starbuck was previously at Raw TV, where she was executive producer on acclaimed Netflix documentary The Tinder Swindler, and also worked on titles including four-part docuseries Reframed: Marilyn Monroe and Memories Of A Murderer: The Nilsen Tapes.

Sanjay Singhal, chief executive of Voltage TV, said: “I worked with Sam a decade ago and have been watching her extraordinary documentary output since then. The range and quality of her work is unrivalled. There’s a reason the best creatives want to work with her – she’s a precise and perfect fit for us as we’re expanding our factual slate and ambitions.”