The Ink Factory Names Creative Director

The Ink Factory has promoted Michele Wolkoff, formerly head of film and TV in L.A., to creative director.

Prior to joining The Ink Factory in 2020, Wolkoff was head of development at Character 7, where she identified the book Culprits: The Heist Was Just the Beginning. She now serves as co-executive producer on the upcoming show adaptation for Disney+.

Before her time at Character 7, Wolkoff ran the film department at The Mark Gordon Company and Bazelevs, the production company for Russian filmmaker Timur Bekmambetov. Wolkoff met Bekmambetov while at Universal Pictures, where she worked for seven years as director of development and managed the studio’s deals with Bazelevs, Cha-Cha-Cha (Alfonso Cuarón, Guillermo del Toro and Alejandro Gonzáles Iñárritu’s production company) and Fernando Meirelles’s O2 Films. She began her career at Universal as the creative assistant to then Universal Chairman Stacey Snider.

Wolkoff takes over as creative director from Katherine Butler, who stepped down from the role this summer.

In addition, The Ink Factory has promoted Ian Spence to head of finance and operations. He joined the company in 2016. Previously, he worked for Entertainment One (eOne) in its film production and international sales division. Before moving into the entertainment industry, he was part of the group finance team for a telecommunications business and has also worked in the transactional services team for Deloitte in London.

Stephen Cornwell, co-CEO and founder of The Ink Factory, said, “Over a decade after founding The Ink Factory, we’re excited to have grown within our company the pillars of our future leadership. Michele’s curatorial flair and drive to champion projects is a fantastic asset to the company, and we’re thrilled to have her stepping up as creative director—leading the teams across Los Angeles, London, Mumbai and Seoul. Our current slate encompasses adaptations from singular new literary voices like C Pam Zhang and masters of genre such as Un-su Kim. Michele brings a new approach to our work on John le Carré’s legacy through adaptations which build on his incredible storytelling in fresh and unexpected ways.”

“Both Stephen and I would like to thank Katherine for her work with us over the past couple of years and wish her every success in her next chapter,” added Simon Cornwell, co-CEO and founder. “We’re at an exhilarating time in the business, and Ian Spence’s steady guidance has been a cornerstone of our ongoing success, so his promotion is both fitting and well deserved. He joins a transatlantic senior leadership team alongside Michele, which also includes Tessa Inkelaar leading on our Asia slate supported by the BFI and 127 Wall. We’re also grateful for the continued support of our investors FIFTH SEASON, with whom we have a burgeoning co-studio, and 127 Wall, who are continuing to back our work together.”