The Night Manager and The Little Drummer Girl indie The Ink Factory has hired RAW Scripted Creative Director and former Film4 Deputy Head of Film Katherine Butler to join the company in the newly created role of Creative Director.
Butler will oversee the studio’s film and television slate globally, setting priorities for the le Carré partnership, seeking out creative opportunities with existing and emerging storytellers and building out a portfolio of projects. Butler will report to The Ink Factory co-founders and co-CEOs Stephen and Simon Cornwell.
Butler joined RAW in March 2014 to head up Film and TV Drama, having previously spent nine years at Film4. Whilst at RAW, Butler most recently produced Bart Layton’s award winning second film, American Animals and the forthcoming feature film Dream Horse starring Toni Collette and Damian Lewis which will be released in the UK by Warner Bros and in the US by Bleecker St in the spring of 2020.
Katherine Butler said: “I have loved my time at RAW, but when Simon and Stephen asked me to join The Ink Factory, I just couldn’t say no. Their access to extraordinary material combined with their ambition for bold, visionary authorship across their output, making TV and film with something to say about the world we live in now, felt irresistible to me. I can’t wait to join Tom Nash, Michele Wolkoff and the brilliant creative team already in place at Ink, and to get started!”
Simon and Stephen Cornwell, co-CEOs and Founders at The Ink Factory, added: “We are thrilled that Katherine has chosen to join our team to lead our creative endeavours. Katherine brings both insight and experience, combined with great industry relationships. Katherine has an impressive track record of collaborating with strong established talent while at the same time developing emerging voices. It’s incredibly exciting to embark on the next stage of The Ink Factory’s growth with Katherine, and we could not have a better person to lead both the shaping of our slate going forwards and our gifted creative team.”
After joining Film4 as Head of Development in 2004, Butler was promoted to Senior Commissioning Executive in 2009 and then became Deputy Head of Film in 2013. Butler ran Film4’s low budget and new talent slate for four years before increasing her focus across the whole production slate. She executive produced a large number of films during that time, including BAFTA-winner Tyrannosaur, BAFTA-winner The Imposter, BIFA-winning Kill List, Berberian Sound Studio and Starred Up, Cannes-selected The Selfish Giant, Sightseers and Catch Me Daddy, as well as Sundance-selected cult favourite Frank. Butler also executive produced “Random” for Channel 4, winner of the BAFTA for Best Single TV Drama in 2012.
During her time as Head of Development at Film4, Butler worked across the entire Film4 development slate, with specific focus on titles such as Slumdog Millionaire, Attack the Block, Submarine, Nowhere Boy and Brick Lane.
Prior to working at Film4, Butler was Head of Development for Ruby Films, having joined them from the New Zealand Film Commission where she held the position of Executive Producer & Head of Development from 1999 to 2002.
Staff Reporter
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