Nutopia


Canada to tell Story of Us

Canadian pubcaster CBC has commissioned the latest version of epic docu-drama format The Story of Us. Bristow Global Media will produce the 10x60mins Canada: The Story of Us, with a 2017 airdate pencilled in as part of a slate of original shows that will celebrate the country’s 150th birthday. Since History commissioned Jane Root’s prodco […]

October hires from Channel 5, staffs up

UK prodco October Films has made a two hires and appointed a new head of factual. It has brought in David Arrowsmith from Channel 5 and Josh Wilkins from Discovery, and upped Jos Cushing from within its ranks. Arrowsmith (left) will head up development in the UK, having launched the in-house development and production unit […]

Nat Geo orders first drama series, Aronofsky doc

National Geographic has ordered its first drama series and two big doc projects. The Fox-owned channel operator has recently reorganised its senior management, and today announced the three new landmark shows, which include Blood Ivory (WT), its first scripted series. The show comes out of a new development deal with DNA Films & TV (28 […]

Blue chip to new chip: natural history with bite

Stewart Clarke speaks to commissioners, producers, distributors and digital pioneers about their efforts to reimagine the natural history genre. Alastair Fothergill is the embodiment of blue-chip, making landmark series for the BBC and films for Disney Nature, but he is now seeking to reinvent the genre, out of necessity as much as anything. “When I […]

Phil Craig and Tim Pastore to keynote at MIPDoc

Discovery’s incoming content chief, Phil Craig, will give a keynote address at MIPDoc in Cannes in April. His equivalent at National Geographic Channel, Tim Pastore, will also give a keynote address at the factual market, which precedes MIPTV. Former Nutopia and ABC Australia exec Craig (pictured, top left) starts at Discovery next week as executive […]

US indie Eastern hires McKeown from Nutopia

US factual producer Eastern has recruited Simon McKeown as its senior VP, development. He joins from Jane Root’s factual prodco Nutopoia and will head up development at Eastern, which makes VH1 series Love & Hip Hop. Prior to Nutopia, McKeown was at Love Productions, where hus credits include the popular and controversial fact-ent series Benefits […]

US indie Eastern hires McKeown from Nutopia

US factual producer Eastern has recruited Simon McKeown as its senior VP, development. He joins from Jane Root’s factual prodco Nutopia and will head up development at Eastern, which makes VH1 series Love & Hip Hop. Prior to Nutopia, McKeown was at Love Productions, where hus credits include the popular and controversial fact-ent series Benefits Street. He […]

Discovery poaches ABC exec as CCO

Discovery Communications has recruited Phil Craig as chief creative officer. Craig’s appointment comes after chief content officer, Luis Silberwasser left Discovery – later joining Telemundo as president – and creative director and head of commissioning Julian Bellamy exited the factual channel operator for ITV. However, the chief creative officer title is a new one at […]

Ex-London Live, Channel 4 exec joins Nutopia

Former London Live and Channel 4 commissioner Katie Boyd has joined Jane Root’s factual specialist Nutopia. Boyd joins the Story of Us… prodco along with CB Films’ Simon Willgoss. Boyd will become executive producer, while Willgoss becomes head of development. Nutopia’s current deputy head of development Lee McNulty is concurrently promoted to in-house producer. Former […]

News brief: Jane Root’s Nutopia hires development chief

Nutopia, the US factual prodco run by former BBC and Discovery exec Jane Root, has hired Allyson Mandelbaum as its director of development. Prior to Nutopia, she was director of unscripted at AMC Networks and has previously worked at MTV and indie prodco Magical Elves