Katherine Pope Named President, Sony Pictures Television Studios

Katherine Pope
(Image credit: Charter)

LOS ANGELES—Sony Pictures Television (SPT) has announced that Katherine Pope will join the studio as President of Sony Pictures Television Studios, overseeing all domestic scripted productions. 

Pope, who most recently was head of original content at Charter Communications, has held leadership roles at major networks, studios and production companies and has developed and overseen numerous acclaimed drama and comedy series over the course of her career. 

She will begin her new role at SPT on August 22, reporting to Ravi Ahuja, chairman, Global Television Studios and Sony Pictures Entertainment Corporate Development.

“Katherine has proven herself as a dynamic leader with impeccable taste and the ability to successfully develop and produce content that resonates with audiences," said Ahuja. "She is an excellent fit for this role and I'm delighted that she has chosen to join us at SPT. 

“Katherine brings vast experience that will help us build on the overall strength of our global production capabilities at the studio," he continued. "With Katherine leading our scripted production business in the U.S. and Wayne Garvie leading our international production business, we have an incredible leadership team dedicated to working with the industry’s top talent to produce undeniable content around the world."

“I am thrilled to be joining the incredibly talented team Tony and Ravi have assembled at SPT -- a studio with the strength, expertise and independence to lead amidst the challenges of a rapidly evolving marketplace,” said Pope. “I have long admired the creativity and high-quality work SPT consistently produces and can’t wait to explore all the opportunities that lie ahead. I am excited to step onto the lot and get started!”

SPT’s global scripted productions include a wide array of programs for every major streaming, cable and broadcast platform, and have received numerous nominations and awards for its creative and ground-breaking series.

As head of original content at Charter Communications, she successfully created and launched the Spectrum Originals platform, curating a slate of premium series such as the upcoming “A Spy Among Friends” starring Damian Lewis and Guy Pearce, as well as “Beacon 23”, starring Lena Headey and Stephan James, Panhandle, starring Luke Kirby, and "George & Tammy", starring Jessica Chastain and Michael Shannon. 

She was also responsible for greenlighting “LA’s Finest”, starring Gabrielle Union and Jessica Alba, the limited series revival of “Mad About You”, reuniting Helen Hunt and Paul Reiser, “Angela Black”, starring Joanne Froggatt, and “Joe Pickett”, which became Spectrum Originals’ most-watched series ever.

Prior to joining Charter, Pope launched the television division at Peter Chernin’s Twentieth Century Fox-based production company, where she oversaw all creative development and production and executive produced such series as the acclaimed comedy, “New Girl”.

Earlier in her career, Pope spent 10 years at NBC/NBC Universal Television Studios where she served in a number of leadership roles including executive vice president of the network and president of the Studio, where she developed hit shows “Heroes”, “30 Rock”, and “The Office”. She began her career in network news at CBS and ABC News, producing documentaries and specials.

George Winslow

George Winslow is the senior content producer for TV Tech. He has written about the television, media and technology industries for nearly 30 years for such publications as Broadcasting & Cable, Multichannel News and TV Tech. Over the years, he has edited a number of magazines, including Multichannel News International and World Screen, and moderated panels at such major industry events as NAB and MIP TV. He has published two books and dozens of encyclopedia articles on such subjects as the media, New York City history and economics.