Big Fish swims towards Sirens exec

US prodco Big Fish Entertainment has appointed a Sirens Media exec to a senior development position, marking its second arrival from the firm in the past six months.

Daniel Markell

MGM-owned Big Fish, which produces A&E Network’s hit reality series Live PD, has named Daniel Markell as senior VP of development.

Markell will steer Big Fish’s scripted and unscripted development for linear, digital and streaming platforms as well as exploring brand and talent partnership opportunities and leading the development team.

He joins chief creative officer Lucilla D’Agostino, to whom he reports, in swapping ITV America-owned Sirens for Big Fish, where he served in an identical role overseeing Sirens’ development slate and team.

Markell began his career as a casting producer on ABC’s Wife Swap before moving into directing and producing for cablenet shows including TLC’s Four Weddings.

“Big Fish has experienced tremendous growth this year and we’re positioning ourselves to continue on that trajectory in a strategic and sustainable way,” said D’Agostino. “We’re very excited to welcome Daniel, whose instincts for incredibly sharp and envelope-pushing content will help us keep setting the bar higher and exploring new creative territory across all platforms.”

Big Fish was acquired by MGM in June as part of the studio’s aim to ramp up its unscripted TV output.