ABC Studios appoints production boss

ABC Studios in the US has appointed a former Netflix exec as executive VP of production and post-production to replace the retiring Gary French.

Carol Turner

Carol Turner arrives from Skydance Television, which she joined in 2018 as executive VP of physical production. Prior to that, she was the first director of production for international originals at Netflix.

At Skydance, Turner oversaw physical production for comedies, dramas, limited series and miniseries for the television studio, including production finance and post-production.

This included Netflix duo Grace & Frankie and Altered Carbon, Isaac Asimov adaptation Foundation for Apple and Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan for Amazon.

At Netflix, Turner created and grew the international originals production team and oversaw production of the first wave of international Netflix originals around the world.

Prior to joining Netflix, Turner was senior VP and VP of production at BBC Worldwide (now BBC Studios), overseeing scripted and unscripted series in-house.

French, meanwhile, has spent the past 15 years at ABC Studios. He previously served as VP of production at Universal Network Television and New World Entertainment, and also spent a decade at Stephen J Cannell Productions.

“This position is so crucial to the operation of a studio, now more than ever,” said Jonnie Davis, president of ABC Studios/ABC Signature, part of Disney TV Studios.

“Carol is one of the most respected and impressive production heads in our business. She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience with her, and will help us navigate the new reality of what production will look like moving forward. Gary French set a high bar for our studio and we’re fortunate to have Carol here to carry on that legacy.”