RTS Nominations; MGM Appoints UK Development Chief & Lookout Point Hires – Global Briefs

Gentleman Jack’s Suranne Jones, Chernobyl’s Jared Harris and writer Craig Mazin are among those nominated for the 2020 Royal Television Society Programme Awards. The British TV awards will be handed out by writer and comedian Paul Merton on March 17 at The Grosvenor Hotel. Channel 4 drama The Virtues is recognized in both the female actor category with Niamh Algar and male actor with Stephen Graham, while Jones will compete against Algar and The Long Song’s Tamara Lawrance. Harris is up against Graham and Top Boy’s Michael Ward. Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s comedy Fleabag goes head-to-head with Channel 4’s Derry Girls, both of which have secured nominations in the Scripted Comedy and Female Comedy Performance categories. Waller-Bridge has also received a nomination for Writer – Comedy, alongside Danny Brocklehurst for Brassic and Sex Education’s Laurie Nunn. Ncuti Gatwa has also been recognised for Comedy Performance (Male) in Netflix hit Sex Education. BBC Three, Channel 5 and Sky Atlantic are all in contention for the RTS Channel of the Year award, while HBO co-pro Gentleman Jack goes up against Channel 4’s Ackley Bridge and NBCU and Heyday Television’s BBC drama The Capture in the Drama Series category.

MGM has hired former Primal Media exec Paul Evans (left) to head up development for its UK Unscripted Television Division. Evens, who joins as Head of Development, reports to Dom Bird, MGM’s SVP of International Unscripted Television. He joined the company earlier this year. He was Head of Development for Primal Media between February 2016 and July 2019, working on shows such as C4’s Home Free, Sky One’s Carnage, and ITV’s physical gameshow Bigheads. He has also worked on shows including Survivor, Big Brother, Love Island, and I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! and worked for companies including Pulse Films, Studio Lambert, ITV Studios, BBC Studios and U.S. studio Gunpowder & Sky. Bird said, “I’m delighted that Paul is joining us at MGM in the UK. He has a stellar reputation as a true creative thinker and talented development leader and as our team grows, we are incredibly excited to be able to approach broadcasters and all platforms with an exceptional development capability.”

Gentleman Jack producer Lookout Point has hired Alice Pearse and Katie Draper as exec producers. Pearse joins from Left Bank, where she was producing AMC and ITV’s Quiz, while Draper joins from Playground, where was a Creative Director spearheading the development of Harriet Warner’s Dangerous Liaisons and C5’s All Creatures Great and Small. The pair will work alongside Lookout Point boss Faith Penhale, Creative Director Laura Lankester and recently promoted Executive Producer Will Johnston. Penhale said, “Great drama starts with great people and Alice and Katie are two of the best. I have long admired their talent and creativity and they are loved by writers. As we continue to grow in 2020, I can’t wait to see what they do as part of the Lookout Point team.”

Source: Read Full Article