Yahoo News Willow Grylls to Co-Head ‘The Missing’ Producer New Pictures
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Executive producer Willow Grylls has been appointed as co-chief executive officer of New Pictures, whose output includes “The Missing” and “Catherine the Great,” working alongside existing CEO Charlie Pattinson. Elaine Pyke also takes on a new role as creative director.
Grylls joined Pattinson and George Faber’s Company Pictures when it was set up, working initially in film development as well as business affairs. She then became a producer and series producer for television commencing with Martina Cole’s “The Take” for Sky One, starring Tom Hardy. She co-founded New Pictures alongside Pattinson and Pyke in 2013, executive producing across New Pictures output and specifically “The Missing,” “The Missing II” for BBC One/Starz, “Rellik” for BBC One/Cinemax, and “Requiem” for BBC One/Netflix.
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She achieved further success recently with critically successful ITV drama “White House Farm,” which gained a consolidated 8 million viewers, becoming one of the most successful dramas on the channel this year. The series will be available on HBO Max in the U.S. later this year. Grylls will also executive produce the upcoming three-part drama “Des,” starring David Tennant for ITV.
Pyke was previously head of drama for Sky and channel director for Sky Atlantic, responsible for all acquired and commissioned programming on the channel. Her original scripted drama commissions included “Mad Dogs,” “The Take,” “Hit & Miss” and three Terry Pratchett “Discworld” adaptations. After co-founding New Pictures, Pyke has served as executive producer across New Pictures output, most particularly on “The Innocents” for Netflix and two seasons of “Indian Summers” for Channel 4. She will be taking on the new role of creative director.
Pattinson said: “Elaine and Willow’s creative excellence are an integral part of New Pictures’ success. Willow has also been an equal part of the corporate functioning of New Pictures for some time. After an incredibly busy year with five shows in production, this change formalizes this evolution as we enter our next phase of growth.”
Over the past year, New Pictures’ output has included “White House Farm,” plus the epic Sky Atlantic/HBO miniseries “Catherine the Great,” which achieved a consolidated figure of 1 million viewers plus gaining a Golden Globe nomination for best actress for Helen Mirren. “Cobra,” starring Robert Carlyle, has become one of Sky One’s most successful drama series in recent years, with a cumulative launch audience of 2.2 million, as well as being one of Sky’s most rapidly binged box-sets. A second season will film later this year.
Upcoming projects include second season of “The Spanish Princess” for Starz and “The Deceived,” a new psychological thriller written by Lisa McGee and Tobias Beer for Channel 5 and Virgin Media Television, Ireland, and “Des” for ITV.
New Pictures is part of All3Media.
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