Sony Pictures TV Studios taps Charter’s Katherine Pope to succeed Jeff Frost

Sony Pictures Television (SPT) Studios in the US has hired Charter Communications executive Katherine Pope to take over from Jeff Frost as president.

Katherine Pope

Pope, who was head of original content at Charter Communications’ Spectrum Originals, will oversee all US scripted productions in her new role, which officially begins on August 22.

She will report to Ravi Ahuja, chairman of Global Television Studios and Sony Pictures Entertainment corporate development.

News of Pope’s appointment comes just over a month after SPT Studios revealed that Frost would be leave the company in September.

During her time at Charter Communications, Pope helped to create and launch the Spectrum Originals platform, which co-commissioned projects including A Spy Among Friends, starring Damian Lewis and Guy Pearce; Beacon 23, starring Lena Headey and Stephan James; Panhandle, starring Luke Kirby; and George & Tammy, starring Jessica Chastain and Michael Shannon.

Also commissioned during her tenure were LA’s Finest, Mad About You, Angela Black and Joe Pickett. Many of the projects co-commissioned by Spectrum Originals were partnerships with Sony, including LA’s Finest, Mad About You, Panhandle and A Spy Among Friends.

Before joining Charter, Pope launched the TV division at Peter Chernin’s Twentieth Century Fox-based production company, where she oversaw creative development and production and exec produced such series as New Girl.

Prior to that, Pope spent 10 years at NBC and NBC Universal Television Studios, serving in several leadership roles including executive VP of the network and president of the studio. During her time with NBC, she developed hit shows such as Heroes, Friday Night Lights, 30 Rock and The Office.

In her new role, Pope will lead the studio behind series such as The Crown, Better Call Saul, The Good Doctor, The Boys, Cobra Kai, Sex Education, The Blacklist, Outlander, The Afterparty and The Wheel of Time, in addition to upcoming series including A League of Their Own, Accused and Twisted Metal.

Ahuja called Pope a “dynamic leader with impeccable taste and the ability to successfully develop and produce content that resonates with audiences.”

He added: “Katherine brings vast experience that will help us build on the overall strength of our global production capabilities at the studio. With Katherine leading our scripted production business in the US and Wayne Garvie leading our international production business, we have an incredible leadership team dedicated to working with the industry’s top talent to produce undeniable content around the world.”

Pope said: “I am thrilled to be joining the incredibly talented team Tony and Ravi have assembled at SPT – a studio with the strength, expertise and independence to lead amid the challenges of a rapidly evolving marketplace.”