So Television hires for development

ITV-owned UK production company So Television has hired executives with backgrounds at Endemol Shine and the BBC to bolster its development team.

Mary Doyle

Darren Smith and Mary Doyle are joining the firm as creative director and head of development respectively, reporting to MD Graham Stuart.

Smith joins from Endemol Shine-owned Initial, where, as head of entertainment, he focused on formats including MTV reality show The Royal World.

Prior to that he was Twofour’s head of comedy entertainment, having previously spent four years as a commissioning editor for entertainment and comedy for Channel 4.

Darren Smith

Doyle will manage the development team and oversee the pitching of entertainment and comedy-entertainment ideas to commissioners of major broadcasters in the UK and US.

She has a raft of experience in development and production gained over 10 years working for a wide range of companies, including the BBC, STV, Shine and Hungry Bear Media.

So Television was formed in 2000 by Stuart and comedian Graham Norton and produces Norton’s long-running chatshow for BBC1.