SKY STUDIOS NAMES GABRIEL SILVER AS HEAD OF DRAMA COMMISSIONING

Sky Studios has appointed Gabriel Silver as Director of Commissioning for the company's UK Drama sector.He will oversee a diverse catalog of innovative projects. As the current Senior Commissioning Editor and Executive Producer, he will assume his new role immediately, set to report to Chief Content Officer Jane Millichip.“Gabriel has an impeccable track-record of delivering shows that encapsulate the creative ambition of Sky Studios," Jane Millichip, Chief Content Officer, Sky Studios, said. "From Chernobyl to Gangs of London, he has strong instincts in identifying, developing and delivering bold, original content and is well respected as a creative partner by the independent production community.”

Most recently Silver had oversight of a separate slate of Sky Originals, including "Gangs of London," plus returning franchises Temple, Britannia and COBRA. He is currently Exec Producing upcoming Sky Original dramas Extinction, starring Paapa Essiedu and The Baby, a co-production between Sky and HBO. “Thanks to Cameron Roach and the whole drama team, Sky Original dramas have gone from strength to strength, breaking viewing records, winning critical acclaim and finding fans at home and abroad," 

Prior to joining Sky in 2017, Silver worked at a range of indies including as a Development and Executive Producer at Left Bank Pictures and at Kudos where he script edited seminal BBC series "Spooks" and "Life on Mars." He also produced the first series of "Clique" for Balloon Entertainment/BBC Studios and developed the climactic series "Waking the Dead" for the BBC. "The UK has some of the best creative talent both on-screen and off, and I am thrilled to lead Sky Drama through this next phase as we continue partnering with our world-leading indie community to bring viewers even more new, original content they wouldn’t find anywhere else.," Silver said.

In his new role, Silver is tasked with growing the slate of indie-commissioned drama projects for Sky Studios, Sky’s development and production arm across Europe. With a particular focus on commissioning content for Sky UK, Silver will work closely with Zai Bennett, MD of Content at Sky UK, with projects jointly greenlit by both Sky Studios and Sky UK. The hire came following the company's commitment to invest in original content by 2024. It also serves as a base for the opening of the Sky Studios Elstree,set to open in 2022.

Silver’s team includes Commissioning Editors Manpreet Dosanjh, Paul Gilbert and Liz Lewin. In addition to increasing its investment with indies, Sky Studios also plans to move further into in-house production following the success of RTS-winning Sky Original The Third Day, the first in-house production from Sky Studios. “Sky Drama has never been more bold or ambitious than it is today,”  Silver said. “Over the next 18 months, we’re looking towards a fantastic slate of shows.”