A24 builds out UK team with hire of Lookout Point co-CEOs Laura Lankester and Will Johnston

Will Johnston and Laura Lankester

US-based studio A24 is growing its UK operation with the hire of Lookout Point co-CEOs Laura Lankester and Will Johnston, who are exiting their roles at the BBC Studios-backed production company.

Based in London, the execs will work alongside the heads of A24’s UK office, Piers Wenger and Rose Garnett. They will be tasked with helping to “expand, shape and grow the studio’s global television slate,” said A24.

During their time at Lookout Point, Lankester and Johnston have worked on titles including Sally Wainwright shows Gentleman Jack (BBC/HBO), Renegade Nell (Disney+), Last Tango in Halifax (BBC) and Happy Valley (BBC/AMC), plus Vikram Seth’s A Suitable Boy (BBC).

They will both continue to produce Lookout Point’s upcoming adaptation of Pride & Prejudice for Netflix, while Lankester will oversee BritBox’s Tommy & Tuppence for Lookout Point and BBC Studios.

The pair have been co-CEOs since late 2022, when they were tapped to lead the company in place of outgoing CEO Faith Penhale.

Lankester and Johnston are joining A24 as it continues to build a local British programming slate, with titles including Molly Manning Walker’s Major Players (Channel 4), Miriam Battye’s The Husbands (Apple TV+), Leo Reich’s It Gets Worse (Channel 4), Michaela Coel’s First Day on Earth (BBC/HBO) and Alice Birch’s Ministry of Time (BBC).

The studio is also working on Adam Curtis’s BBC series Shifty, the second season of Dreaming Whilst Black, an adaptation of literary series Magnolia Parks and the Liverpool FC series written by Jack Thorne (Adolescence).

In a joint statement, Lankester and Johnston said: “[A24’s] commitment to creative excellence is an inspiration, and to build with Piers and Rose is a wonderful new opportunity.

“Our time at Lookout Point has been a real joy and incredibly formative. We are deeply grateful to the colleagues and friends we have been honoured to work with, and to BBC Studios for 10 years of success and partnership.”