Discovery’s Lewis moves to Pacific

Canuck factual producer Great Pacific Media has appointed the former president and general manager of Discovery Networks in Canada to its senior management team.

Paul Lewis

Paul Lewis becomes president at Great Pacific, which is the factual arm of Vancouver and LA-based Thunderbird and is behind shows including Highway Thru Hell for Discovery Canada.

Lewis has more than three decades of broadcasting and production experience, having been behind the launch of the daily science show Daily Planet. He oversaw Discovery Canada from 2003 until October last year, when he departed as part of a restructure at parent company Bell Media.

Great Pacific CEO Mark Miller and Thunderbird executive chairman Ivan Fecan said Lewis “will help us to grow our relationships around the world with networks seeking innovative programming.”

Lewis added that he was looking forward “to creating even more exciting and original content that entertains and informs international audiences.”

Great Pacific was founded by Blair Reekie and Miller to focus on the development, production, coproduction and financing of factual, documentary, gameshow and reality content.

It was acquired by Thunderbird in 2014 as part of its plans to expand its presence in unscripted. The group also includes UK-based theatrical distributor Soda Pictures and Vancouver-based production companies Reunion Pictures and Atomic Cartoons.