Crackit Productions has appointed factual TV exec Helen Cooke as its new Head of Non-Scripted.
Cooke previously spent two years at Studio Ramsay as Head of Popular Factual, where she executive produced Channel 4’s Born Famous which she also created, co-created Channel 4’s Fantastical Factory of Curious Craft, and was instrumental in the development of Gordon, Gino and Fred’s Road Trip, The Savoy, and Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted for Nat Geo, which she also co-exec produced.
Prior to that she was Features Commissioning Executive at Channel 4 where she was responsible for ordering shows including Rescue Dog to Superdog and Peter Cook and Dudley Moore: The Missing Sketches. She has also worked as a series producer on programmes such as The X Factor, Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners and Come Dine with Me and also worked as Entertainment Commissioning Editor for UKTV.
Cooke joins the company in January where she will report to Creative Director, Elaine Hackett and build on developing original format content, both in the UK and internationally.
Elaine Hackett, Creative Director at Crackit Productions, said: “2019 has been quite the year for Crackit: we’ve launched new formats, returned with some of our access-based series including Casualty 24/7 which is much loved by Channel 5 viewers, and our one-offs continue to engage conversation and promote debate on some tough topics from hoarding to female trafficking, paedophile fathers and teen sex workers.
“We’ve always liked to push the boundaries at Crackit, launching content that is startling, humorous or technically innovating and Helen will help us to continue to think big and make the impossible, possible. She is extremely talented and has developed and produced super-sized, entertaining formats with scale and ambition. She also has an eye to spot the next niche waiting to explode. I’m thrilled she’s going to be part of the team.”
Helen Cooke commented: “I’ve always admired Elaine and what she has created with Crackit – anyone who knows her knows that she is a powerhouse of creative energy and the team she has built reflects this in their programme commissions. To be joining them at a time when it’s going from strength to strength is really exciting and I’m looking forward to building on its current successes and helping the company grow both in the UK and globally.”
Staff Reporter
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