‘Liaison’ Producer Ringside Studios Hires ‘Industry’ Exec
British drama house Ringside Studios has hired Industry and No Escape exec Lee Thomas. He’ll work alongside company founder Gub Neal and Kate Bennetts on Ringside Studios projects and others from investment arm Ringside Media. He’ll also continue to develop his own projects, with Ringside set to produce. Thomas is coming off of No Escape, the Paramount+ thriller series shot in Thailand. His credits also include season one of HBO and BBC drama Industry and ITV true crime series White House Farm. He has produced Shola Amoo’s Sundance Grand Jury Prize-nominated drama feature The Last Tree through his Prodigal label and produced an Oscar-nominated short, The Voorman Problem, which is based on an extract from David Mitchell novel Number9Dream. Ringside Studios, a joint venture between Neal and Newen Content, recently produced Apple TV+ series Liaison, a UK-France co-production starring Eva Green and Vincent Cassel.
Banijay’s LaLiga Studios Forging ‘The Power of our Fútbol’ Docuseries
Banijay’s LaLiga Studios is making The Power of Our Fútbol, a documentary series following the Spanish football league’s shift in corporate image. The show comes as the studio hires Paz Pérez Sanz, Marta Ruiz and Anabel López Antolín as Art Director, Director of New Projects and Director of Production respectively. Helmed by Chalo Bonifacino Cooke, Banijay Iberia and the domestic football league launched LaLiga Studios earlier this year to work with international platforms and brands in the development, production and distribution of entertainment, documentary, fiction, and animation content. The Power of our Fútbol follows the league’s shift in image, described as a “tale of profound change, an empowerment, a bold statement of the recognition of the power of football.” Bonifacino Cooke is EPing and said the new hires will bring “shared passion, knowledge and creative thinking” to the outfit.
Cameron Roach’s Rope Ladder Fiction Staffs Up
Former Sky drama boss Cameron Roach’s indie, Rope Ladder Fiction, is building. The UK-based company has appointed Yasmin Ali as Development Editor and promoted Hannah Lee to Head of Development. Roach’s former Sky Studios colleague Victoria Wharton has also joined, as Consultant Executive Producer. Rope Ladder co-produces the rebooted BBC drama Waterloo Road with Wall to Wall, with a third season in post-production, and has a series of projects in development with British networks and streamers. Among them is eOne co-pro The Twyford Code, which has Paul Andrew Williams attached to direct. Roach launched the company in 2021, a year after exiting Sky.