EXCLUSIVE: Sky‘s Head of Co-Productions, Jack Oliver, is leaving the European pay-TV giant.
Deadline can reveal he will leave at the end of the month after over a decade with the Comcast-owned company, and that his role will not be replaced. No word on his next move yet.
We understand his position will be absorbed into existing teams, with arts co-productions moving to acquisitions and documentary co-productions overseen by Sky Studios’ commissioning team. Insiders say the change reflects a “natural evolution” at Sky.
We understand that none of Sky’s upcoming projects will be impacted by Oliver’s exit.
This marks the second major commissioning exit from Sky’s team to exit in the past week. Doc chief Poppy Dixon’s departure was revealed in a report by Broadcast last week. Phil Edgar-Jones, the company’s Executive Director of Original Unscripted, will speak later this morning at the Edinburgh TV Festival about the company’s commissioning plans going forwards.
Oliver had joined Sky in 2014 from the BBC, having spent the first 15 years of his career at the public broadcaster. He was promoted to his current role, which focuses on exec producing and program and film financing, in 2019.
He began at Sky as Acquisitions Manager, leading on major studio negotiations, spearheaded Sky Cinema’s ‘A Premier A Day’ strategy and secured early Sky Original Film deals that insiders note where a significantly reduced average costs for indie pics. He also played key roles in pop-ups such as the Harry Potter franchise channel and score output agreements for Sky Store.
His deals are in part considered to have led to the launches of channels such as Sky Comedy and Sky Crime. As Head of Co-Productions, he is considered to have been a major driving force behind the launch of Sky Documentaries, and has struck deals for and exec produced on shows for that network, Sky Arts and Sky Crime. He’s recently worked on the likes of Dash Films production Football’s Trillion Dollar Con, the Fremantle and Misfits co-pro Simpson/Bruckheimer – Blockbuster, Marina Zenovich’s Chevy Chase documentary from Protagonist and Bohemia Films’ intimate portrait of Rik Mayall.
“Jack is an exemplary member of the Sky team who has delivered for us time and time again,” said a Sky spokesperson. “His vision, commitment and creativity have helped to launch channels, shape Sky’s strategy across film and factual, and deliver a string of acclaimed documentaries and specials. We are hugely grateful for his contribution over more than a decade, and we wish him every success in his next professional chapter.”
Earlier this week, it was revealed Sky is working with HBO on War, a legal thriller series starring Dominic West and Sienna Miller. Hijack‘s George Kay is the writer.
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