Fremantle Bolsters Production & Development Team

Fremantle has strengthened its production and development team with the hiring of Jhamal Robinson as head of U.S. unscripted and scripted productions and Emily Knight as senior VP of unscripted development.

Robinson, in his newly created role, will oversee the company’s expansive U.S. portfolio of both unscripted and scripted programming. His remit will include oversight of all aspects of physical production for Fremantle, including the company’s U.S. productions for Eureka and Original Productions studios, while leading strategic planning, execution and delivery of premium content across broadcast, streaming and digital platforms.

Robinson brings decades of senior production leadership to Fremantle. Most recently, he served as executive VP of physical production and head of AI studio at A+E Global Media. Previously, he was VP of production management for the U.S. and Canada at Netflix.

In her new role, Knight will help drive the development of the company’s next era of globally distinctive formats. She will build on Fremantle’s format legacy by advancing a dynamic slate of bold, globally scalable unscripted concepts.

Knight joins Fremantle from AGC Studios (The Tinder Swindler), where she was senior VP of development. Prevously, she was head of development at Expectation and All3Media’s Maverick.

“As our production slate continues to grow in both scale and ambition, it’s essential that our leadership team evolves alongside it,” said Suzanne Lopez, COO of Fremantle North America. “Adding these two exceptional executives to our leadership team will help ensure Fremantle remains at the forefront of delivering groundbreaking programming across every platform.”

“Fremantle has an extraordinary creative legacy and a robust slate across both unscripted and scripted programming,” Robinson commented. “I look forward to partnering with the team to align production and creative pipelines in ways that support our studios and continue delivering premium content for audiences across all viewing platforms.”

“Fremantle is synonymous with world-class unscripted television, and the opportunity to work alongside Jimmy [Fox, executive VP of unscripted development and sales] is incredible,” added Knight. “His creative instincts and appetite for scale align perfectly with how I approach development, and I’m so excited to help build the next generation of standout global formats with the fantastic team here.”