HBO drama boss Francesca Orsi wins Series Mania Forum’s Woman In Series Award

Francesca Orsi (Source: Series Mania)

HBO drama boss Francesca Orsi has been presented with Series Mania Forum’s fourth annual Woman In Series Award.

The initiative, which launched in 2021, is given each year to a woman from the audiovisual industry to honor her vision and leadership. Orsi is EVP of HBO programming and head of HBO drama series and films, responsible for developing and overseeing the production of original programming on the drama slate.

Over the past six years, Orsi has shepherded international hit shows including House Of The Dragon, The Last Of Us, The White Lotus and Euphoria, and collaborated to produce top-performing titles such as Succession, Mare Of Easttown and Watchmen.

Her credits also include the upcoming The Sympathizer and Game Of Thrones prequel A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, as well as Industry, True Detective: Night Country, The Gilded Age and My Brilliant Friend.

Orsi first joined HBO in 2003 as an executive assistant to the head of drama, a position she eventually took on herself in June 2016. In 2020, Orsi’s role was expanded to include oversight of HBO Films, and in August of 2022, her title was updated to her current position.

She will be presented with her award on 20 March and will also take part in an exclusive conversation at Series Mania Forum with Bad Wolf’s Jane Tranter.

“Awarding Francesca Orsi with this award for 2024 was an easy decision and an obvious choice for us. She continues to shine with an amazing career, and she truly embodies the ‘Woman in Series Award’ brand, said Laurence Herszberg, founder and general director of Series Mania.

Orsi said she wanted to dedicate her award to “the incredible women, both in front of and behind the camera, that have been the life force of so many of the projects on our network.”

Past winners of the Woman In Series Award include Christina Sulebakk, GM of HBO Max EMEA; Mo Abudu, CEO, The EbonyLife Group; and Nicola Shindler, chief executive of Quay Street Productions.