Sky Studios, Sky’s Europe-wide development, production and commissioning arm, has appointed Preethi Mavahalli as creative, director, drama.
The executive producer behind hots including The Serpent, Noughts + Crosses, and The War of the Worlds will be responsible for commissioning original drama from Sky Studios in the UK. This includes new Sky Originals that will be made available in Sky’s European markets.
Currently Director of Drama at award-winning indie, Mammoth Screen, producers of Poldark, Victoria and Endeavour, Mavahalli has developed and overseen a range of other hit series which includes McDonald & Dodds and Next of Kin for ITV, as well as The City & the City and NW for BBC Two.
Prior to joining Mammoth in 2011, she worked at Film4 and Film London.
Preethi Mavahalli, said: “I have been watching Sky Original drama go from strength to strength in recent years, constantly raising the bar with ambitious and ground-breaking series. With the launch of Sky Studios, and its unrivalled ambitions and ability to partner with talent, the bar has been set even higher and I could not pass up the opportunity to lead in-house drama. I can’t wait to get started.”
Sky Studios is developing a range of in-house projects across Europe, with production already underway on The Rising for Sky UK and Blocco 181 for Sky Italia. Both series are set to air next year.
In this newly created role, Mavahalli will report to Chief Content Officer Jane Millichip, and is set to join Sky Studios in January 2022
Millichip said: “Preethi is an exceptional talent. Her instincts for identifying great ideas and developing them into world-class television is second to none. We couldn’t be more excited to have her lead the next phase of Sky Studios’ push into in-house drama development and production.”
Sky has committed to more than double its production of original content by 2024, Sky Studios has increased its investment in both in-house production and content from the indie sector.
