Orchid Pictures Expands with New Hires

Orchid Pictures has expanded its team with two new senior hires, including Michael Casey, who joins as managing director.

Casey will lead the day-to-day management of the company alongside founder and CEO Suzanne Mackie. He joins after a 16-year stint at Left Bank Pictures, where he produced more than 100 hours of programming for the BBC, ITV, Sky, HBO and Netflix.

Casey served as producer on The Crown from the first season through to its season six finale. He also produced the Italian detective series Zen and 40 episodes of the international action series Strike Back.

Orchid Pictures has also hired Gabriel Silver to take on the newly created role of executive producer. Silver joins from Tiger Aspect, where he held the position of creative director since March 2023. Prior to that, he was director of drama commissioning at Sky Studios, where he oversaw a slate of Sky original projects such as Chernobyl, Gangs of London, COBRA, Britannia, The Lazarus Project and I Hate Suzie.

“Orchid Pictures is built on an ethos of offering a home for the very best writing and creative talent, and we’re now assembling a top-class editorial and production team to take the company forward,” Mackie said. “After an intense and fruitful development period, with our brilliant producers Hannah [Campbell] and Sophie [Loizou], it’s wonderful to feel that now is the right time for us to grow.

“Gabriel is a creative powerhouse who brings impeccable taste, sharply honed editorial skills and intuition, in addition to invaluable production and commissioning experience. With the arrival of Michael, an undeniable force in guiding world-leading productions, we’ve significantly expanded our strength and cemented our capacity to deliver the best working environment for our flourishing stable of writers. All of this has been made possible with the unstinting support of Anne Mensah and her terrific team at Netflix.”

“The opportunity to join Orchid was irresistible,” Casey commented. “Suzanne has a well-deserved reputation for taste and integrity that is best in class. Her focus on story and creative talent has created a company of real potential at a time when the resilience of producers is being thoroughly tested. I hope that I can help the Orchid team to build on their brilliant work to date and firmly establish it as one of the next great drama companies to emerge from these shores.”

Silver added, “I’m delighted to be joining my old friends at an undeniably exciting moment. With Suzanne’s and Michael’s creative and strategic leadership, and a brilliantly talented team already building a very promising slate, I feel lucky to be part of Orchid’s blossoming story.”