Gal Zaid Named New Head of Comedy & Drama for Endemol Israel

CANNES/TEL AVIV/LOS ANGELES: Endemol Israel has tapped Gal Zaid, who’s worked on hit dramas Prisoners of War and Hostages, as its new head of comedy and drama just as the company continues to expand its scripted programming business.

Zaid will oversee all of Endemol Israel’s scripted output, and his remit will include partnering with the Los Angeles-based Endemol Studios to develop original TV formats that could be adapted in the U.S. His appointment is the latest in a series of recent moves aimed at growing Endemol’s scripted programming. Last week, the company acquired international drama producer Artists Studio, which is behind programs like the Gillian Anderson-led The Fall.

Zaid recently served as Channel 10’s director of drama, holding the same position before that at Keshet. Besides co-developing Hostages and script editing Prisoners of War (the inspiration behind Showtime’s Homeland), Zaid co-created a slate of dramas, comedies and soap operas for Israeli cable broadcaster HOT.

Elad Kuperman, the CEO of Endemol Israel, said: “Gal is responsible for some of the most successful and exciting scripted series to come out of Israel and we are thrilled to have him join us in this key role. His appointment at Endemol Israel and his collaboration with our colleagues in the U.S. will strongly position us to deliver outstanding scripted content for audiences here and around the world.”

Philippe Maigret, the CEO of Endemol Studios, said: “Israel is a hotbed of creativity for scripted output with great potential for adaptation in the U.S. and beyond. Gal is recognized in the Israeli market as being a creative entrepreneur with a capacity to deliver great storytelling that translates across all territories. As we continue to expand our growing scripted development slate, we look forward to collaborating with him to find new ideas based on scripted Israeli formats that we can adapt into content for the U.S. market that will have a strong emotional resonance.”

Zaid said: “This is an extremely exciting new challenge for me. Elad Kuperman and Endemol Israel combine vision with creative freedom and I’m enormously looking forward to working with them and the U.S. team on a new lineup of world-class scripted content to join Endemol’s rich international repertoire. This new role will allow me to build on what I love doing most and to do it on a larger scale than ever before.”