StudioCanal said Monday that Sarah Doole is to step down as CEO of Red Production Company, its prolific Manchester-based TV banner that has produced shows including It’s a Sin, Years and Years, Happy Valley and Queer as Folk.
Doole leaves after less than two years at the helm of Red, having joined in September 2020 to replace founding CEO Nicola Shindler. The executive will instead concentrate on growing and developing Sow the Seed, the incubator she set up in 2020 focusing on new talent and underrepresented voices.
StudioCanal says it is now setting up a team that will manage Red during this “period of transition,” which will be supported by Françoise Guyonnet, executive managing director TV series, and its U.K. CEO Alex Hamilton.
“I would like to thank Sarah Doole for the work accomplished at Red Production Company,” said Anna Marsh, StudioCanal CEO. “I wish her all the best for her next endeavors. Red will continue to benefit from the full support of StudioCanal, so that together we continue to bring to the public hit shows, such as It’s A Sin, Ridley Road and Years and Years. We are very excited about the future of Red, and it remains a pivotal part of the StudioCanal family.”
Red is currently working on the Amazon Prime Video adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s Anansi Boys, with Malachi Kirby set to play the lead.
