Wall to Wall Media have launched a new Northern drama hub based in Manchester to be headed up by award-winning producer and development executive Sian Palfrey, it has been announced today.
Wall to Wall North, set up to focus on developing and producing drama in the North of England, follows the company’s recent announcement of returning Manchester-based drama Waterloo Road (a co-production with Rope Ladder Fiction for BBC One and BBC iPlayer).
Palfrey joins Wall to Wall as Executive Producer from Rollem Productions, where she was previously Head Of Development. Her work included BBC Three’s critically acclaimed YA drama Overshadowed, which was nominated for a Rose d’Or and Broadcast Digital award and won the Mind Media award for its thought-provoking portrayal of anorexia. Further credits also include ITV’s National Television Awards-nominated Girlfriends, as well as BBC’s In The Club, The Syndicate and Love, Lies & Records. Most recently she produced BBC Three’s regional RTS-winning comedy-drama My Left Nut.
Palfrey has previously collaborated with the BBC, BBC Writersroom and Leeds Playhouse to launch funded opportunities to identify and mentor new writing talent and secured the first broadcast commissions for Broadcast Hotshots Eva O’Connor and Hildegard Ryan, and RTS winners Michael Patrick and Oisín Kearney. Having worked in drama in the North for over ten years and championed new voices from the nations and regions in that time, Palfrey will now lead Wall to Wall’s scripted expansion as it focuses on developing new drama projects with a northern skew, and investing in local and regional talent. Palfrey will report into Managing Director and Head of Wall to Wall, Leanne Klein.
Sian Palfrey said: “I’m thrilled to be joining Wall to Wall to set up their ambitious new drama hub in the North. Leanne and the team feel as strongly about championing the next generation of northern storytellers as I do and Wall to Wall North is an amazing opportunity to collaborate with the wealth of extraordinary talent we have in the area and to grow and nurture new voices from the region and beyond. I can’t wait to see what incredible stories we will tell together.”
Leanne Klein, Managing Director and Head of Wall to Wall said: “I am delighted to be welcoming Sian to Wall to Wall as we launch our Northern base. Sian is a fantastic creative producer, with her roots firmly in the north. With Waterloo Road in production in Manchester, it’s the perfect time to be investing in talent in the region and I’m thrilled that Sian has come on board to lead the charge.”
