Elba indie co-founder pacts with Bob & Co. prodcos

One of the founders of Idris Elba’s Green Door Pictures is to consult for Bob & Co.-backed UK prodcos Woodcut Media and Duchess Street Productions.

Nicholas Yearwood recently left Green Door after three years, during which time he was executive producer on shows such as Sky’s Ones to Watch and Elba’s doc Mandela, My Dad and Me and head of development.

At Woodcut and Duchess Street, he will work as a consulting executive producer, developing scripted and non-scripted programming, while developing his own projects with established and emerging talent.

He worked with factual-focused Woodcut on one-off doc Mandela, My Dad and Me, which distributor Content Television sold to Discovery Networks UK & Ireland and History in Africa, and another feature doc, Cut From a Different Cloth.

“In recent years we have developed a fantastic rapport with Nicholas whilst working together on docs such as Mandela, My Dad and Me, and Cut From A Different Cloth. His creative vision and production values are aligned with Woodcut’s, and we look forward to his collaboration on various upcoming projects,” said Kate Beal, CEO, Woodcut Media.

Duchess Street was established in the same year as Green Door, 2014, as a high-end drama producer. “We are proud to support new and diverse talent, and look forward to working with Nicholas on some high-end original ideas with both established and newer talent,” said Donna Wiffen, managing director, Duchess Street. “We are confident his creative flare and confidence in storytelling will prove invaluable.”

In July, Green Door hired former ITV and Leopard Films producer Miles Jarvis to lead its unscripted division. Ex-FremantleMedia exec Ana Garanito was hired in September 2015 to lead its drama efforts.