Chalkboard TV Hires Sky Alum as Creative Director

Indie producer Chalkboard TV has named Bill Hobbins to the newly created role of creative director.

Hobbins brings nearly 30 years of TV-production experience in entertainment, factual entertainment, documentary, scripted comedy, children’s and live production to this new position. The International Emmy winner and BAFTA nominee joins from his most recent position at Sky Entertainment, where he has served as commissioning editor of non-scripted since 2015.

Hobbins will report directly to Chalkboard managing director Mike Benson.

He has also been appointed to the executive committee of the recently established iZen UK group, which consists of Chalkboard’s sister companies Storyboard Studios, based in Scotland, and scripted specialist Clapperboard, which launched in 2020. He will join Benson, Storyboard co-founder Natalie Humphreys and Chalkboard head of production Michael Klokkos on the committee.

Hobbins said: “Joining a group that creates outstanding and original content in all genres, across the nations, regions, London and globally is truly exciting. This is a group that has a flexible and collaborative spirit, underpinned by a strong entrepreneurial outlook and I can’t wait to see what we can create together.”

Benson said: “We’re chuffed Bill has agreed to join us at an exciting time for the company as we look to further build our slate across a number of genres. We’ve always had a really good relationship with Bill—he’s a lovely, well-liked and respected exec in both program-making and commissioning and it feels like a really good fit for us.”