Deadline is reporting that Irish production company Element Pictures has hired former Channel 4 drama commissioning executive Jonny Richards to be their Head of TV Development.
Richards will work out of Element’s London office and report to Anna Ferguson, Element’s Head of Television. Richards will be responsible for expanding their push into TV drama and expanding their development slate of national and international projects.
Element Pictures recently wrapped on The Dublin Murders, an adaptation of Tana French’s series of novels in conjunction with US network Starz, and is in production on Normal People, a BBC-Hulu adapation of Sally Rooney’s novel with Oscar-nominated director Lenny Abrahamson (Room, The Little Stranger, Frank) and award-winning director Hettie McDonald (Howard’s End).
In his role at Channel 4, Richards worked on recurring series No Offence and Humans, as well as TV movie Brexit: The Uncivil War and the upcoming six-part drama Baghdad Central. Prior to Channel 4, he worked at Silverprint Pictures, part of ITV Studios.
I’ve long admired Element Pictures’ work and am delighted to be joining the company as it grows its original TV output. It’s a privilege to be working with Ed, Andrew, Anna and a team that is passionate about bringing unique voices to the screen.
Johnny Richards
We are incredibly proud of our achievements with our feature films, and we are excited to bring the same authentic and visually unique qualities to our television dramas. Jonny has an incredible development track record and a brilliant eye for discovering distinctive and engaging stories, so we are thrilled that he has joined the team to build our current slate and deliver world-class ambitious drama.
Element Pictures