Blue House hires Shaunna O'Brien from Sister to lead development
Blue House Productions has hired Shaunna O'Brien as Development Producer to find and build its next original shows.
She joins from Sister and will identify and develop new projects for the company, according to Deadline. The news was reported on 24 September.
In television, that development job comes before anything is ordered. It means meeting writers, spotting ideas and shaping pitches until a broadcaster or streamer buys them. It is quiet work, but it decides what gets pitched next.
O'Brien arrives with a solid record in that work, especially in the north of England. At Sister she worked across the slate on shows including the BBC's The Split Up. She previously served as Development Editor at Northern Sister, Sister's northern arm.
Northern Sister was launched by Sister in 2021 to grow production outside London, as reported by Televisual. The move gave the organisation a base for finding stories and talent in the region. O'Brien's time there kept her close to that brief.
Blue House is run by Christine Gernon and Emma Strain. Gernon is a director of Gavin & Stacey. Strain is a former VP, a senior executive role, at BBC Studios LA, and together they lead the small organisation.
The hire lands as Blue House builds out from its work as co-producer on Small Prophets. A co-producer shares the making of a show, from costs to creative duties. Small Prophets has sold to Apple TV. That sale gives the young company a visible credit as it pitches what comes next.
Blue House said it is also developing several originals across comedy and comedy drama. Comedy here means laugh-led series. Comedy drama keeps the jokes but tells a longer emotional story across a series. Hires at this level rarely make headlines, yet they shape slates.
For viewers, this is the unseen part that decides what reaches the screen. Ideas get written, writers get meetings and proposals land with commissioners. Then cameras either roll or they do not.
No titles, casting or transmission dates have been attached to those new originals yet. What is set is who will hunt for them. O'Brien is now in post. Her task now is to find the next round of pitches.
