Lightbox catches Dragonfly exec

LA- and London-based production company Lightbox has appointed an executive from Endemol Shine Group-owned Dragonfly as creative director of development.

Ben Samuel

Ben Samuel was most recently director of development at London-based factual TV prodco Dragonfly, where he was responsible for series and singles including Birth (BBC1), Second Opinion Surgery (BBC2) and My Dad, the Peace Deal & Me (BBC1).

He was also previously head of development at Minnow Films, the indie behind SAS: Who Dares Wins, where he oversaw projects including American Justice (BBC2), Spies (Channel 4) and Valley Cops (BBC3).

At Lightbox, Samuel will oversee the company’s development strategy and manage the development teams in both London and LA.

He will have a particular focus on growing Lightbox’s slate of premium returning series, building on recent Netflix original commissions such as Diagnosis and Murder Mountain, as well as limited series and feature docs for UK, US and international networks and platforms.

Simon Chinn and Jonathan Chinn, co-founders of Lightbox, said: “Ben has a great track record of developing eye-catching ideas into premium returnable series, which is an increasing focus for us as we enter our next phase of growth.

“Working with VPs of development in London and LA, Kate Griffiths and Rushie Perera respectively, he will bring a highly commercial and audience-focused approach to our development strategy as we continue to expand our output for networks and platforms worldwide.”