The two execs join heads David Greenbaum and Matthew Greenfield at the specialty film label's newly formed TV division.
Fox Searchlight Pictures’ TV division is filing out its ranks. The new arm of the company has tapped Kara Buckley and Danny Samit as vps of television production. They’ll report to presidents of film and TV production David Greenbaum and Matthew Greenfield in Los Angeles.
The specialty film label formed its TV division, Searchlight Television, in April. Described at the time as a 360-degree hub for creative talent, the venture is intended to broaden the variety of projects produced under the Searchlight banner, which normally finances, produces and acquires motion pictures as a unit of 20th Century Fox Film.
“We are thrilled to welcome Kara and Danny to the Searchlight team. They are two of the most dynamic young stars in the business. Each brings unique work and life experiences that, combined with their deep relationships across the creative content landscape, make them tremendous additions to the Searchlight family,” said Greenfield and Greenbaum in a joint statement.
“I am honored to join Fox Searchlight Television, a new endeavor that combines two of my favorite things: Fox Searchlight and Television,” added Samit. “The quality of storytelling at Searchlight is unparalleled. Eight years after coming to Fox, I'm excited to finally be a member of the Searchlight family and collaborate with amazing colleagues and artists as we expand into a new forum.”
Said Buckley: “I’m incredibly excited by the opportunity to help build the television division of this esteemed, groundbreaking company. David Greenbaum, Matthew Greenfield and the entire Searchlight team have set the gold standard for feature film making, and I look forward to learning from and working with all of them as we try to do the same in television.”
For four years, Samit worked as director of current series at FX Networks, covering drama, comedy and animation. In the role, he worked on Atlanta’s first two seasons, as well as American Horror Story, Legion and Snowfall. Prior to FX, Samit — who was formerly Peter Rice’s assistant — worked for Fox International Channels in Hong Kong, Fox Broadcasting Company and UTA.
Buckley, for her part, was most recently the director of programming for original series at HBO. There, she worked dramas such as Sharp Objects, Big Little Lies, The Deuce and Game of Thrones. She also worked on Damon Lindelof's Watchmen pilot, which is currently in production, and developed Jane Goldman and George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones prequel (recently picked up to pilot.) Prior to HBO, Buckley worked at Legendary TV and William Morris Endeavor.
Searchlight Television will aim to produce original material in addition to utilizing the studio's library of feature films for adaptation in broadcast television, cable and streaming, with forays into scripted series, limited series and documentaries. They’ve yet to launch their first project.