Executive Producer Willow Grylls has been appointed as Co-Chief Executive Officer of New Pictures working alongside existing CEO Charlie Pattinson. Elaine Pyke also takes on a new role as Creative Director.
Willow joined Charlie Pattinson and George Faber’s Company Pictures at its inception, working initially in film development as well as business affairs. Willow 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. Her recent success 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 US later this year. Willow will also executive produce the upcoming three-part drama, Des starring David Tennant for ITV.
Elaine 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 series of Indian Summers for Channel 4. She will be taking on the new role of Creative Director.
Charlie 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 formalises this evolution as we enter our next phase of growth.”
Willow Grylls said: “New Pictures is a home for entertaining and thought provoking drama from bold and distinctive voices. Charlie, Elaine and I are a great team. I feel really excited by what the three of us can achieve in this next stage of New Pictures’ journey. “
Elaine Pyke said: “The future is very bright for New Pictures with an incredibly exciting slate of shows both in development and on the path to production. It has been an extraordinary seven years working with Willow and Charlie and I know that the next seven will be even more so as New Pictures continues to confirm itself as a leading international scripted production company.”
New Pictures has had an incredible year with White House Farm plus the epic Sky Atlantic/HBO mini-series, 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 series will film later this year. Upcoming projects include second series 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.
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