Sky appoints new Commissioning Editor for its Documentaries and Factual division

Sky has appointed Tom Barry in the role of Commissioning Editor in Documentaries and Factual commissioning. The executive is set to begin his duties next month.  “Tom is a hugely respected Executive Producer in the industry, with a stellar track record. I’ve had the pleasure of working with Tom in his role at Raw and have been impressed with his talent and the rich roster of titles he has overseen," Poppy Dixon, Director of Documentaries and Factual commented. "I am delighted to be welcoming him to the factual commissioning team here at Sky.”

In his new role, Barry will support Poppy Dixon, Director of Documentaries and Factual, in bringing premium, original features and multi-part series to Sky Documentaries, Sky Crime and Sky Nature. He will be a part of the team responsible for BAFTA award-winning series Liverpool Narcos, and critically acclaimed titles including, Bruno v Tyson, Shark with Steve Backshall, TINA, Murder in the Valleys and The Return: Life After Isis.

In his seven years at Raw, latterly as Director of Programmes, UK Factual, Barry executive produced a range of popular and critically acclaimed documentaries, including BAFTA nominated Three Identical Strangers, BAFTA award-winning Chris Packham; Asperger’s and Me, Stanley Tucci; Searching for Italy, Eva Longoria; Searching for Mexico and Paddy and Christine McGuinness; Our Family and Autism. “I have enviously watched the projects Poppy and her team have commissioned in such a short time from afar and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to join such a vibrant team at an exciting time for Sky’s factual slate," Barry said.

Poppy Dixon joined Sky in the newly created role of Director of Documentaries and Factual in 2020, reporting to Zai Bennett, Managing Director of Content. Poppy has since built a remarkable team consisting of Hayley Reynolds, Janine Thomas, and now Tom Barry.