Chalkboard hires for Scotland expansion

UK indie Chalkboard TV has hired a former BBC producer as part of its continued expansion in Scotland.

Jon Willers

London-based Chalkboard have appointed Jon Willers as series producer to bolster Chalkboard Scotland, its new production base in Glasgow.

Willers was previously a series producer at pubcaster the BBC and worked on The One Show, as well as  producing science, history and arts show for BBC1, BBC2, Channel 4 and National Geographic.

He joins Chalkboard as the firm aims to capitalise on the recent success of its programming produced in Scotland.

Earlier this year, children’s network CBBC debuted Logan High, Chalkboard’s first children’s commission from the pubcaster which follows teenagers on the cusp of adulthood.

In 2017, Channel 4 aired single-access documentary Life Behind Bars: Visiting Hour, an in-depth look at visiting hour at Scotland’s maximum-security prison HMS Low Moss.

“The opportunities for funding in the UK’s nations and regions continue to grow and we’re eager to be part of this new creative movement,” said Mike Benson, executive producer and director of Chalkboard. “We’ve had a production presence in Glasgow for two years now and it feels like the right time to put down deeper roots.

“I’ve worked with Jon before and he’s one of the most exciting young series producers in the country. With this calibre of talent on board, I’m confident that we’ll continue to build on the successful slate of shows we’ve already produced in Scotland.”