Warren Clarke to join BBC Studios ANZ as Head of Scripted

Warren Clarke is joining BBC Studios’ Australian production arm as Head of Scripted as the studio restructures to gear up for a major push into premium scripted production in the country and capitalize on the success of its unscripted business. Formerly Head of Scripted Development at Fremantle Australia, Warren will be tasked with delivering world-class scripted content with local and global appeal, including original series as well as the Australian reimagining of successful BBC Studios scripted formats.

At the same time, following a stellar year for unscripted commissions such as “The Great Australian Bake Off,” “The 1% Club” and “The Matchmakers,” Deb Spinocchia, formerly Head of Development and Content, will become Head of Unscripted. Furthermore, Arianna Gusi will join as Head of Production Unscripted to oversee the planning and execution of the unscripted slate.

“This is an exciting time for BBC Studios. We have big ambitions for the scripted side of our business with some announcements coming later this year. There is a real appetite globally for Australian produced drama. Warren’s local creative expertise, coupled with BBC Studios’ brilliant drama catalogue, international contacts and proven ability to fund content, mean we are in a great position to capitalize on that,”  said Kylie Washington, General Manager and Creative Director of Production at BBC Studios Australia and New Zealand.

“Our unscripted business continues to go from strength to strength and, with a bunch of shows currently in production and several others in late development stages, it is the right time to bolster our team in that area, with a new role for Deb and the appointment of Arianna to the new post of Head of Production Unscripted. We have been growing rapidly since kicking off the production business four years ago,”  Washington added.

“I am thrilled to be joining BBC Studios ANZ. BBC Studios has a reputation for creating world-class drama. From developing premium, original shows like ‘Time,’ ‘Luther’ and ‘Silent Witness’ to those that draw on their rich catalogue of scripted formats, with titles like ‘Ghosts,’ ‘The Office’ and ‘Doctor Foster’ reformatted around the world, BBC Studios is synonymous with quality. Australia has a vibrant creative community and I look forward to working with the best of Australia’s scripted talent in this new role,”  Warren Clarke commented.

During his time at Fremantle Australia, Warren served as Executive Producer on projects including Netflix’s “Wellmania” and Nickelodeon’s “Rock Island Mysteries.” Prior to that, he was Development Executive at Matchbox Pictures, where he worked across projects including Foxtel’s award-winning political drama “Secret City,” Rebecca Gibney’s “Wanted” and SBS’ “Safe Harbour.”

Meanwhile, Gusi joins from EndemolShine Australia, where she was a Production Executive overseeing the management of many successful international formats including “The Voice,” “Masterchef,” “The Bachelor” and “Lego Masters.”  The exeutive has also worked at Zapruders and Fredbird, and with a number of leading UK production companies across multiple genres.