Sky Studios starts US production hub

Sky Studios, the new production and commissioning arm of European satcaster Sky, is opening a production services arm in the US called The Hive Collective.

Robert Twilley

The Hive Collective will have hubs in New York and Knoxville, Tennessee and will make use of Sky Studios’ production expertise in Europe.

The hubs will provide fully integrated pre-production, production and post-production services for Sky Studios’ productions and third parties.

The hubs will be staffed with more than 250 creative professionals with expertise covering casting, wardrobe, set design, transcription, media management, staffing, human resources, finance, offline editing, graphics and final delivery.

Robert Twilley, former senior VP and general manager of Sky-owned prodco Jupiter Entertainment, will serve as president of The Hive. He will oversee all facets of its operation, including legal, financial and production.

The Hive Collective is already in discussions with several producers and production companies to bring projects to it this year.

“Launching The Hive is the next step in our ambition to make Sky Studios a world-leading creative and production force and home to the industry’s best talent,” said Jane Millichip, chief commercial officer at Sky Studios.

“The agile approach of The Hive will help us, and other producers, get great ideas and unique stories into production quicker. Under Robert’s leadership, The Hive will quickly become a vital resource for the industry with ambitious plans for expansion.”

Sky launched Sky Studios in June after US media giant Comcast bought the satcaster for US$39bn last year. Sky Studios has set a target to double its investment in original productions over the next five years.