Swirl Films hires two BET execs

US indie Swirl Films has appointed two executives who were previously at US cablenet BET Networks to its team.

Robert A Boyd

Robert A Boyd joins as chief operating officer, having been senior VP of programming operations for BET Networks. Before that, he served as senior VP of studio operations and production sales at Paramount Pictures.

As COO of Swirl Films, Boyd will spearhead the day-to-day operations as well as all production aspects focusing on live events and entertainment shows.

Tony L Strickland, meanwhile, has been appointed co-executive producer and head of unscripted, a role in which he will lead the company’s efforts in unscripted and alternative programming and specials.

Strickland also joins Swirl Films from BET Networks, where he was VP of physical production, before which he spent a decade in director and senior director roles as a member of the original programming and production teams.

Tony L Strickland

“Swirl Films has ambitious goals for growth over the next year and it’s imperative that we bring on the right leaders with the right experience to work with us to get there,” said Eric Tomosunas, Swirl Films’ CEO and founder.

“Robert and Tony are armed with years of diverse experience in both operations and productions of all scales across the globe, and their expertise will be crucial as we continue on this growth path.”

Swirl is the company behind Bounce TV series Saints & Sinners and has created more than 60 original productions in the past six years for BET, Netflix, Lifetime, Bounce TV, Hallmark and others.