Sky Studios hires Netflix & Working Title execs as UK drama team expands

L-R: Sam Hoyle & Tilly Coulson

Sky Studios, Sky’s original programming arm across Europe, has boosted its UK drama commissioning team, hiring Netflix alum Sam Hoyle as executive producer and former Working Title Films exec Tilly Coulson as head of development.

Both Hoyle and Coulson joined the company in February and report into Gabriel Silver, Sky Studios director of drama commissioning.

In her new role, Hoyle will develop new projects and oversee all elements of the production process on a range of new and returning dramas, including the recently announced Sky Original, Lockerbie.

Before joining Sky Studios, Hoyle worked as an executive producer at Netflix and prior to that, was co-executive producer on sci-fi series Doctor Who for the BBC. She was also the associate producer and script executive on all three seasons of ITV crime drama Broadchurch.

Meanwhile, Coulson will spearhead drama development for Sky Studios’ commissioned slate, accelerating existing projects and generating new developments. She will act as a key contact for the independent producer community with Sky Studios, alongside working to identify and nurture new and underrepresented writing talent, including overseeing the Sky Table Reads.

Prior to Sky Studios, Coulson was senior development executive at Working Title Films with credits including Rebecca, King Of Thieves and Johnny English Strikes Again. Most recently, she developed and served as executive producer overseeing production on Lena Dunham’s medieval, coming-of-age comedy, Catherine, Called Birdy for Amazon and true-life story The Swimmers for Netflix.

Upcoming Sky Original dramas include The Rising, the first series produced entirely in-house by Sky Studios, The Midwich Cuckoos, starring Keeley Hawes and Max Beesley, The Lazarus Project, starring Paapa Essideu, and the second season of Gangs of London, later in 2022.

Peacemaker

Sky takes ‘Peacemaker’ to UK

In related news, Sky has taken the UK rights to HBO Max original series Peacemaker, the James Gunn-helmed spin-off series from his 2021 superhero feature The Suicide Squad.

The eight-part series sees John Cena reprise his film role as the titular Peacemaker, who believes in peace at any cost – even if he has to kill anyone that gets in his way to achieve it.

Peacemaker comes to Sky as part of its content deal with HBO and will debut on the Sky Max channel and the streaming service NOW on 22 March.