7 Network-backed production company 7 Wonder appoints creative director
7 Wonder, a joint-venture with commercial network, Channel 7, is expanding its British team with the appointment of new creative director, Duncan Coates.
The announcement:
7 WONDER BOLSTERS SENIOR CREATIVE TEAM WITH DUNCAN COATES
7 Wonder, one of the UK’s fastest growing TV independent production companies, has appointed Duncan Coates in the newly created role of Creative Director to support the company’s accelerated growth and production output. Duncan will be joining from UK indie betty, where as Director of Programmes he works closely with the Executive Producers to oversee creative output on shows including The Undateables, Ugly House to Lovely House with George Clark, Obsessive Compulsive Country House Cleaners and Tricks of the Restaurant Trade, all for Channel 4 and Too Ugly For Love? for TLC. An award-winning executive producer, Duncan worked at Wall to Wall for six years prior to joining Betty. Whilst at Wall to Wall he was responsible for the BAFTA and RTS winning series Long Lost Family for ITV, Wanted: A Family of My Own also for ITV and The Gift for BBC One. Other credits include hit series Secret Millionaire and Brat Camp both for Channel 4, and Bad Lads Army for ITV. As a Director he has also made films for the BBC and Channel 4 strands Cutting Edge and Dispatches. Reporting into Co-founder and Chief Creative Officer, Alexandra Fraser, Duncan officially joins the company in November. As Creative Director he will work closely with 7 Wonder’s talented creative team to build on the company’s success in creating bespoke, high quality non scripted formats and programming. From daytime cooking series My Kitchen Rules, which launches on Channel 4 today, BBC Two series Back to the Land with Kate Humble and interactive history format, People’s History of Pop for BBC Four, to Obesity: The Post Mortem for BBC Three, E4’s first ever ‘factuality’ show 24 Billion Pound Party People, 25- part CBeebies series Do You Know? with technology vlogger Maddie Moate and ITV travelogue series Billy Connolly’s Tracks Across America. Alexandra Fraser, Chief Creative Officer of 7 Wonder says, “When we first established 7 Wonder we wanted the company to become a destination for the very best creative talent, so we’re absolutely thrilled that Duncan is joining us. We already have a fantastic team of execs on board, collaborating closely with each other to develop and deliver really innovative and interesting shows across a wide range of genres. With Duncan’s richly deserved reputation for being one of the best programme makers in the industry, he is going to make a great addition to the team. We’ve enjoyed a hugely busy and successful first two years and Duncan’s appointment as Creative Director will allow us to be even more ambitious with the ideas we develop, and uncompromising in the quality of the shows we deliver.” Duncan Coates adds, “I am delighted to be joining such a terrific team and look forward to helping the 7 Wonder powerhouse achieve even greater success.” 7 Wonder was founded in 2014 by Liza Abbott, Alexandra Fraser and Simon Ellse, and is backed by 7 Network Australia. It opened a regional office within The Library of Birmingham earlier this year, and since launching has secured major commissions from key broadcasters such as ITV, Channel 4, BBC Two, BBC Four, CBeebies, Sky 1 and Arts.
