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Cindy Holland is stepping down as Global CEO of Elisabeth Murdoch and Jane Featherstone‘s Sister after 15 months. She is moving to a new role as a senior advisor to Skydance and its CEO David Ellison as he is plotting the future of Paramount upon competition of the pending $8B merger. Former Netflix TV chief Holland is expected to lend her streaming expertise and insights as Ellison has underscored his commitment to that part of Paramount’s business.
Holland’s departure comes as Sister’s board has decided to close the independent entertainment group’s Los Angeles film and television office at the end of 2024. The staff of under 20 across film and TV has just been notified of the decision. Sister CFO Chris Fry will serve as interim CEO while a search takes place for Holland’s replacement.
“Sister has always been synonymous with quality storytelling, creative integrity and an extraordinary team and I am very proud to have been a part of it,” Holland said. “I’m grateful to Liz, Jane and the whole team for their partnership, and I look forward to collaborating with them on projects in the future. I’ve had a longstanding relationship with David and the senior team at Skydance and I’m energized by the opportunity to work closely with them.”
In her first executive job since exiting as Netflix’s head of English-language originals in fall 2020, Holland joined Sister in July 2023. She set out to build out a full-fledged U.S. studio operation of the U.K.-headquartered company, which had planted a flag in the U.S. in 2019, investing in several smaller outfits.
Over the past year, Holland brought in former Netflix executives Jane Wiseman as Head of U.S. Television and Efrain Miron as President Of Strategy & BA, and signed talent deals, including pacts with Natasha Lyonne’s Animal Pictures and Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij. The team has put TV projects in the pipeline that are awaiting greenlight, a process that has become slower and more arduous post-Peak TV.
During Holland’s tenure, Sister US has received a film greenlight from Netflix for The Woman in Cabin 10.
The decision to close the Los Angeles office followed a review of the Sister board which, examining the tough market conditions that have been exceserbared by the pandemic, double Hollywood strike and the ongoing industry contraction. They opted not to replace Holland’s role in the U.S. and, as Sister continues its pursuit of profitability, to focus the company’s efforts and resources on the UK market where it has been successful with a slew of series.
“Cindy is a brilliant, talented executive and anyone would be fortunate to work with her. I’m truly grateful for her stewardship and her leadership, and hope we’ll collaborate together in a new capacity for many years,” Murdoch said. “These are challenging times for production companies, requiring difficult decisions. The Board believes, as I do, that we can significantly boost sustainable growth and strengthen our Group by doubling down on our proven track record of successfully producing from the UK for a worldwide audience. Our exceptional UK base for Sister film and television operations that sells and produces for the US and the world will be our model moving forward. I’m thankful for the work of the Sister US film and television team, and we will take care of them.”
During her Netflix tenure of nearly two decades, including nine years as VP Original Content, Holland established the streamer’s original programing strategy and spearheaded the crop of scripted series that put the streamer on the map, including House of Cards, Orange Is The New Black, BoJack Horseman and The Crown, and also championed more recent hits such as The Queen’s Gambit.
Since her departure in September 2020, Holland had taken on board and advisory roles before returning to the executive ranks with the Sister CEO position.
