NEW HIRES
Sky Studios Elstree, which will open later this year, has named Leavesden Studios sales VP Noel Tovey as managing director.
Tovey (pictured above) has also previously held senior leadership roles at Pinewood and Shepperton.
The studio boasts 13 sound stages over a 27.5 acre plot and will soon be home to productions from Comcast-owned Sky as well as sister company NBCUniversal. The first project to pitch up at the studio is Universal Pictures musical “Wicked,” which is set to star Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo.
“Noel has a vast range of experience within the industry and a deep knowledge of what productions want and need,” said Caroline Cooper, COO of Sky Studios. “I am delighted he’s joined Sky to lead our brilliant and growing team as we prepare to launch Sky Studios Elstree, the U.K.’s newest studio, later this year.”
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Loop Talent has appointed James Dawson to the position of senior agent, where he’ll manage production designer and costume designer clients. It has also opened an entire division for editors, signing up Mark Davis (“Peaky Blinders,” “The Crown”) and Alex Fountain (“The Responder”) as well as Jim Page (“Wormeater”) and Christopher CF Chow (“Little Darlings”).
Dawson, whose clients include Cathy Prior (“Derry Girls”) and Byron Broadbent (“Black Mirror”) was previously at Casarotto and Revolution Talent.
“James has a fantastic reputation in the industry, and I couldn’t be happier to have him join us as a senior agent representing our costume designers, and production designers,” said Loop Talent founder Lucy Price. “Having built up a quality roster of high-profile clients, with a lot of interest in our HODs from a wide range of productions, it feels like the natural next step to open a new division of editors. I’m excited to work with James, and reinforce our position as the U.K.’s leading agency for below the line talent.”
NEW VENTURE
Move over Harry and Meghan. The prince’s aunt, Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, has joined forces with Gertjan Rooijakkers, Cyril Cadars and Mark Gill to co-found a new production company, Vestapol Films.
Based in Paris, the new venture already has two projects lined up: comedy “The Paris Quintet,” starring “Call My Agent’s” Fanny Sidney and “Ravens – The Many Deaths of Masahisa Fukase,” a surrealist biopic about Fukase, an iconic Japanese photographer.
Both are scheduled for release in 2024.
Vestapol Films is also working on a limited series by Mark Gill and David Mitchell called “The Voorman Problem.”
Ferguson is an author, philanthropist and producer, having produced “The Young Victoria,” starring Emily Blunt, and created animated series “Budgie the Little Helicopter,” an adaptation of Ferguson’s children’s books of the same name.