The North Road Company Hires Former Channel 4 Drama Chief Caroline Hollick
The North Road Company has made a major hire in the UK, bringing in former Channel 4 drama boss Caroline Hollick.
Based out of London, Hollick will be North Road’s Senior VP International Production and Development. She’ll work closely with North Road President of Television Amy Israel and her LA-based team to identify “fresh voices and top creative talent for North Road to collaborate with in the UK and other European markets.”
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Hollick exited during UK network Channel 4’s swingeing cutbacks earlier this year after a six-year spell in which she oversaw critical hit shows such as It’s a Sin, Help, The Gathering and the I Am… franchise. We first reported on the news in February and her departure was confirmed the following month.
“Caroline is a skilled creative executive with exceptional taste, instincts, and relationships,” said Israel and Jan Frouman, North Road’s President of International, in a statement. “She has forged connections and partnerships with world-class talent, often across borders, to make shows that are both critical and commercial hits.
“As a global television studio, North Road is excited to have someone of Caroline’s caliber and passion for storytelling based in the UK. We look forward to supporting Caroline as she dives back into the UK market and generates more global opportunities for local creative talent to share their stories.”
Prior to Channel 4, Hollick was Creative Director at Studiocanal-owned Red Production Company, working on shows such as Happy Valley and Last Tango in Halifax. She began her career as a production trainee at Yorkshire Television.
“I am beyond excited to join North Road,” said Hollick. “I appreciate that they have met this moment in our business with optimism, an entrepreneurial spirit, and a continued commitment to working with world class voices. I am excited to harness my talent relationships in the UK and Europe to further North Road’s global ambitions.”
North Road’s move will inject some excitement into the UK drama market, which has been hit heavily by the economic slowdown and the TV ad market downturn, forcing the networks to rein in spending for much of this year and last. The Edinburgh TV Festival was notably short on drama and comedy announcements, but Channel 4 content boss Ian Katz has said spending at his network is returning to 2019 levels.
Hollick’s appointment at North Road comes nine months after Deadline revealed the company’s previous London-based scripted chief, President of International Film & TV Kristin Jones, was leaving the company. Her exit came after a series of senior hires for North Road including Israel, the former Showtime exec; Josh Stern as EVP Television; James Pross as VP Television; and Madison Heim-Jinivisian as Creative Executive.
North Road’s international productions include Bad Boy, which is from Euphoria creator Ron Leshem, and Heart of a Killer, unveiled earlier this week. Peter Chernin’s company has been active outside the U.S. since it bought the U.S. assets of ProSiebenSat.1 Media-owned Red Arrow for $200M, as Deadline revealed at the time. Deals for The Last Dance producer Little Room Films and Turkish producer Karga Seven have followed, along with stakes in Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions and Two One Five Entertainment, the production house founded by Questlove and Black Thought of The Roots.
Hollick caught some flak at the back end of last year from the UK drama community for her association with Channel 4’s The Couple Next Door, which was written by her husband, screenwriter David Allison. Channel 4 staunchly defended the drama, noting Hollick had recused herself from the production, despite initially noting she had “commissioned” the program. Technically, it had come through the Channel 4 acquisitions team, with the drama division only taking over when a funding partner pulled out. The steamy series was a co-production with Starz and led by Eleanor Tomlinson and Sam Heughan among others.
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