Shindler, ITVS to launch drama label

Drama producer Nicola Shindler is launching a scripted production company based in the UK city of Manchester with ITV Studios.

Nicola Shindler

The new prodco will see Shindler, known for series including the BBC’s Happy Valley and Last Tango In Halifax, develop premium drama for the UK and international market.

She will join ITV Studios and launch the as-yet-named label in 2021, bringing to an end her time with StudioCanal, which invested in her Red Production Company in 2013 and made her CEO of its UK operations in 2018.

She moved to chief creative officer at StudioCanal UK earlier this year after Alex Hamilton arrived from Entertainment One as CEO while maintaining her position as CEO of Red, but will now leave completely at the end of the year.

As well as Happy Valley, Last Tango in Halifax and Years and Years for the BBC, Shindler has also worked on Queer As Folk, Cucumber and the forthcoming Boys for Channel 4; Butterfly and five seasons of Scott & Bailey for ITV; and the recent Netflix Original Harlan Coben’s The Stranger.

During her career, she has worked with writers including Russell T Davies, Sally Wainwright, Danny Brocklehurst, Sue Perkins, Sarah Solemani, Lenny Henry, Tony Marchant and Paul Abbott.

Shindler rose to prominence when working for the then Granada Television as script editor on ITV drama series Cracker and won her first Bafta as producer on Hillsborough, a dramatised account of the 1989 football stadium disaster for ITV.

Winner of seven Baftas, including 2019’s Special Bafta and awarded an OBE for her services to British broadcasting, Shindler’s credits also include Burn It, the first drama on BBC3, Danny & the Human Zoo for the BBC, The Five for Sky and Safe for Netflix.

Julian Bellamy, MD of ITV Studios, said: “Nicola is one of Britain’s most talented and prolific drama producers. She’s been behind some of the UK’s best, most memorable dramas from Queer As Folk to Happy Valley and I’m delighted that Nicola will be starting a new drama venture with ITV Studios. I’m looking forward to, with Nicola, sharing more details about her new label next year when she joins.”

International distribution for Shindler’s new label will be handled by ITV Studios.