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2 months ago
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Sky MD Zai Bennett is heading to BBC Studios.
The Comcast-owned content chief will run BBC Studios Productions, a job that has been vacant for several months and one of the most talked about in the British industry.
Bennett will oversee a production arm that spans all genres, making the likes of Planet Earth, Strictly Come Dancing and Doctor Who. At Sky, he has overseen the likes of Chernobyl, Gangs of London and Patrick Melrose. He will join BBC Studios in November, while he will join the exec committee.
BBC Studio CEO Tom Fussell said: “Zai’s risk-taking creative hit-rate speaks for itself. He has impact and gravitas and can propel BBC Studios Productions even faster forward without losing the deeply engrained BBC ethos all who work here share. His deep genre experience in scripted comedy and drama through to factual entertainment, documentaries, film and kids, coupled with the relationships he’s cultivated with the very best creative talent, will complement our production business growth plans and take us to the next level domestically and globally. I can’t wait for him to start.”
Bennett said he is “incredibly excited” to be joining the “powerhouse that is BBC Studios Productions.”
IN a note tos taff, Sky Studios boss
Zai joined Sky in 2014, initially to lead Sky Atlantic before becoming Director of Programmes and then MD of Content in 2019. It’s hard to overstate Zai’s contribution to Sky over the past decade. He was integral to the launch of our first foray into premium scripted television with Fortitude in 2016. The series set a new benchmark for what Sky Originals could be and really was the foundation from which brand-defining hits like Chernobyl and Gangs of London would later grow.
Never one to shy away from taking big swings, Zai was also a driving force behind taking Sky Arts free-to-air – working with Phil to ensure access to high-quality arts programming was available to everyone – and lead on the move to bring original factual programming back to Sky with the launch of Sky Documentaries, Sky Crime and Sky Nature. Five years on, Sky Documentaries is now firmly rooted in the UK factual landscape and known as the home of premium, unscripted storytelling with a slate of hits including the BAFTA-winning series Lockerbie. Zai also led the charge in bringing Sky Cinema Originals to our viewers as well as constantly evolving our Sky Cinema offering as the industry responded to seismic shifts in theatrical distribution over the past decade.
Beyond Sky, Zai has also made a significant impact on the wider industry by spearheading new initiatives like the Coalition for Change to support freelancers in the industry and has been a constant champion of our commitment to support creative diversity in storytelling.
On a personal note, I know we will all miss working with Zai. His endless humour, bounce and genuine belief in better will leave a lasting legacy at Sky. He will be with us until the end of August, so there is time for us to say our proper goodbyes.
