Creative England alum samples Duck Soup

FremantleMedia-backed UK prodco Duck Soup Films has appointed a former Creative England executive as development executive.

Kate O’Hara

Kate O’Hara will help develop high-end scripted drama and comedy across a variety of formats from concept to production at Leeds-based Duck Soup. Additionally, she will be responsible for identifying new talent and projects.

At Creative England, O’Hara oversaw the design and running of iFeatures, a development initiative supporting directors and writers making their first feature films. During her tenure, she worked on a number of noted films including Apostasy, Lady Macbeth and The Levelling.

O’Hara said she was keen to bring in “additional connections with some of the brightest new, emerging and established talent in the UK” to complement Duck Soup’s existing writers and directors.

She joins former Red Production Company script editor Jackie Okwera in moving to the indie’s development team, following the latter’s appointment as head of development a year ago.

The prodco, the brainchild of This is England veterans Libby Durdy, Bekki Wray Rogers and Jessica Holyland, was given an investment boost in April 2017 when The X Factor producer FremantleMedia took a 25% stake in the firm as part of its drive into scripted.