PactUS formed with ex-Nat Geo chief Lyle

Former National Geographic Channel CEO David Lyle will be the inaugural president of UK indie trade body Pact’s stateside arm.

Lyle (left) is currently establishing offices in New York and LA for PactUS, which will seek to give voice to the American indie television production community.

He will hire staff to man these bases, and find business and legal representatives that can provide information to PactUS members.

Lyle left Nat Geo last year and was replaced by Courteney Monroe. Nat Geo president Howard T. Owens left around the same time, and has gone on to launch Propagate Content with former A&E chief David McKillop.

Prior to Nat Geo, Lyle headed up 21^st Century Fox formats firm Fox Look, and was also president of the now-defunct Fox Reality Channel and was president of entertainment at FremantleMedia. In his native Australia, he was head of development.

Pact CEO John McVay has been seeking a leader for PactUS since January, with the decision to launch the base coming as UK prodcos increasingly hoover up production business in the States.

“David brings with him the necessary experience and knowledge to expand our mission in the US,” said McVay (right). “With his success leading some of the country’s top TV channels and production companies, he has a nuanced understanding of the needs of content creators, producers and buyers.

“Our goal is to ensure that there is an effective producers’ organisation that works in both markets to support producers and PactUS is in great hands with David at the helm.”

“It’s a privilege to lend a voice to the thriving independent production community here in the US – a group I love – at a time when the broadcasting and digital industries are becoming global in reach and ambition,” said Lyle.

“I’m eager to introduce to the US an organisation that’s been crucial in protecting and serving the interests of UK’s independent content producers. Here production companies face many similar and some importantly different challenges.”

The news comes after a non-profit group, the Nonfiction Producers Association, launched last year with a similar mandate. PactUS will work across all genres, marking a point of difference between the pair.