People

Poison Pen Studios, the transatlantic scripted label backed by ITV Studios and led by Ben Stephenson, has announced the promotion of Fern McCauley to Head of Development. McCauley, who previously served as the label’s Head of IP Acquisitions, steps into the new role with immediate effect.

In her new capacity, McCauley will collaborate closely with Stephenson to spearhead the development of British and American scripted content for both markets.

The appointment comes as the studio, which operates across London and Los Angeles, prepares for the premiere of two major dramas on ITV later this year. The upcoming slate includes the provocative love story Adultery, starring Dominic Cooper and Romola Garai, and the serial killer thriller The Dark, featuring Laura Donnelly.

“We are now four years into Poison Pen and with two shows under our belt I’m excited to have Fern at the helm of development. We already have a bunch of development at FX, HBO, BBC, ITV, Netflix, Amazon and Sky and I’m looking forward to working with Fern across our UK and US slates to find more poppy, authored, page turney series for both markets. Fern is an incredible and kind executive with impeccable taste and I’m excited to start this new chapter,” said Ben Stephenson.

Fern McCauley added: “Heading up IP Acquisitions for Poison Pen has been an amazing experience, especially seeing our first book-to-TV adaptation, The Dark, come to fruition so quickly. I'm delighted to take on the Head of Development role, helping guide Poison Pen into its next phase. Ben is a brilliant, supportive, and fun person to work for who shares my passion for finding bold stories for big audiences. We have an incredibly exciting slate of screenwriters and IP and I look forward to getting our projects onto TV screens internationally.”