Hangtime International Pictures Names Head of Development

Hangtime International Pictures, which officially launched at the Cannes Film Festival in May, has hired BIFA-nominated producer Jessica Malik (She Will) as head of development.

Malik is tasked with developing a slate of high-end, specialist and mainstream content across film, television and documentaries. She reports directly to CEO Frank Murray and is based out of Hangtime’s London office.

Prior to this, Malik co-founded Rebel Park Productions with Gemma Arterton and Jessica Parker in 2017, with the goal of raising the voices of women filmmakers and producing woman-led stories.

As part of a strategic partnership between Hangtime and Rebel Park, the companies will work together to co-produce select film and TV series. The first projects of the partnership are now in advanced development.

During her time at Rebel Park, Malik executive produced the first and upcoming second seasons of Funny Woman for Sky, based on Nick Hornby’s Funny Girl. She also produced the short Leading Lady Parts.

Malik’s feature film credits include Timestalker, Daliland, She Will and Zaytoun.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled to join the team at Hangtime and to build upon an already exciting and ambitious slate,” Malik said. “Frank and Frida [Torresblanco]’s strategic vision for the company is a breath of fresh air. Their intention to create visually distinctive, high-quality content for studios, independents, streamers and broadcasters aligns perfectly with my own taste, and I look forward to curating a smart, fearless, globally-focused slate of both film and TV projects with them.”

Murray and co-CEO Torresblanco commented, “Jessica’s previous experience perfectly resonates with our own intentions for Hangtime; we are not only auteur-driven and actively using our existing relationships with established filmmakers to create ambitious, incredible content, but we are dedicated to championing emerging talent and powerfully diverse stories, too. Jessica brings experience across both these fundamental areas in spades. We’re thrilled to have her on board.”