Sky Studios-backed US producer Catalina Content has appointed veteran executive producer Deborah Allen as its SVP of content. Allen has produced more than 750 hours of nonfiction programming for a variety of networks, including Oxygen, A&E, Investigation Discovery, National Geographic and History Channel. She joins Catalina from fellow Sky-backed US firm Jupiter Entertainment, where she […]
Europe’s Sky Studios and French studio Gaumont have partnered to co-produce The Wasp, the first Sky Original comedy to be created for Germany’s Sky Deutschland. The six-part series was created and written by Jan Berger (Der Medicus) and will be directed by Hermine Huntgeburth (Neue Vahr Süd), with Andreas Bareiss and Sabine de Mardt attached to exec produce for Gaumont, while Quirin […]
Comcast-owned Sky Studios has brought its various US production entities under the control of Jupiter Entertainment execs Stephen Land and Patrick Reardon, as it tries to “turbocharge” its operations in the country. Land, founder and CEO of Sky-owned Jupiter Entertainment, will now be chairman of Jupiter Holdings, which becomes home to his New York-based firm, as […]
Long-standing Sky exec Gary Davey is to step down from his position as CEO at the company’s production division Sky Studios next year and retire. Davey took up his most recent role 18 months ago following Sky’s acquisition by Comcast-owned NBCUniversal, having previously been the pay TV company’s MD of content in the UK and EVP of […]
German outfit Leonine Studios has hired former Sky Vision and Sonar exec Patrick Phelan to lead its global distribution efforts. Phelan becomes director of world sales at Leonine, with a remit to oversee all international sales activities for the company’s licensing unit. He will report to SVP of license sales, Christiane Goldberg. Phelan was previously […]
ITV Studios sells 300+ hours in India Soon-to-launch streamer Discovery+, Lionsgate Play and Viacom 18 have collectively acquired more than 300 hours of scripted and non-scripted content for India in a raft of deals with ITV Studios. Discovery+ has signed a deal for factual titles including Atlantic Productions’ Attenborough’s Journey, a look back at Sir David […]
Both Netflix and the UK’s Sky have commissioned separate documentary projects about the 1996 murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier. The projects were both announced on Monday and are both being made in collaboration with the victim’s family. The as yet-unnamed Netflix project is a three-part series being made by Lightbox due to debut next […]
Blast! Films rejigs as creative chiefs depart Sky Studios-backed producer Blast! Films has rejigged its senior team, with creative directors James O’Reilly and David Hodgkinson stepping down. Tanya Winston is moving from executive producer to become creative director alongside Graeme McAulay, currently creative executive at The Garden. Elsewhere, Jago Lee is leaving fellow UK outfit Blakeway to […]
Starzplay secures Fremantle quartet Global streamer Starzplay has struck a deal with Fremantle for an array of scripted series, including We Are Who We Are and No Man’s Land. Luca Guadagnino’s We Are Who We Are stars Chloë Sevigny and tells the story of two American kids who live on a US military base in Italy […]
Sky Studios, the development and production arm of British broadcast group Sky, has appointed writer and producer Anil Gupta as creative director for original comedy in the UK. In his new role, Gupta will focus on in-house production, working with new and established talent to develop scripted comedy projects for the studio. He will report […]
