Mammoth Screen, BBC, ITV Studios execs hired to bolster ITV drama team

L-R: Helen Ziegler, Helen Perry and Callum Dziedzic

CONTENT LONDON: ITV in the UK has expanded its drama team by hiring Helen Ziegler, Helen Perry and Callum Dziedzic from Mammoth Screen, the BBC and ITV Studios respectively.

Ziegler will be joining as senior commissioning editor in January 2024 following her maternity leave and will lead on building fledging streamer ITVX’s slate of drama as well as finding new projects for linear channel ITV1.

Currently director of television at Mammoth Screen, Ziegler’s recent executive producer credits include World on Fire (BBC One), Agatha Christie adaptations by Sarah Phelps for BBC One, Hugh Laurie’s Why Didn’t They Ask Evans (BritBox UK), Gwyneth Hughes’ Tom Jones (Masterpiece/ITV) and Endeavour (ITV).

Perry is joining as commissioning editor for drama in January 2023 for a fixed-term one-year contract to further support the expanded slate.

Perry joins from the BBC, where she is currently an assistant commissioner in the BBC’s drama department, working across both development and production for drama commissioning, exec producing shows including upcoming BBC One true crime Steeltown Murders. She also leads on new writer development for BBC Writersroom.

Before joining the BBC, Perry was script executive at Bad Wolf on season two of HBO/BBC drama Industry.

Also joining in January is Callum Dziedzic, who will become assistant commissioner for drama and comedy.

He will moves to the role from Patrick Spence’s studio at ITV Studios, where he is currently a development executive. While at Spence’s studio, Dziedzic set-up the Disabled Writers in Development Programme, which he will continue to oversee as part of his new position.

Before ITV Studios, Dziedzic worked with several production companies including Sister, Pulse Films and The Forge, and his script editing credits include Giri/Haji for BBC Two and Netflix, and Ackley Bridge for Channel 4.

Dziedzic said: “As a disabled person, I am passionate about championing disabled creators and empathetic to the stories they want to tell. The advent of ITVX is a brilliant opportunity to diversify ITV’s drama offering by entertaining audiences with fresh and unexpected content.”

The three new hires were announced on day two of Content London and come ahead of the launch of ITVX, formerly known as ITV Hub and the new streaming home for ITV content, on December 8.

New programmes will be made available exclusively on the platform every week of the year, with an extra £160m (US$192m) reserved for the originals, on top of ITV’s existing programme budget. ITV drama commissioning is increasing by around 50% with the arrival of ITVX, the commercial broadcaster said.