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Sue Naegle
The HBO alum will serve as president of the Megan Ellison-led company’s newly created TV arm.
Annapurna Pictures is expanding into television.
The Megan Ellison-led film company has tapped veteran producer Sue Naegle to serve as president of its newly launched TV division. Together with Ellison, Naegle will spearhead Annapurna Television, a new production arm for the company behind Sausage Party and Everybody Wants Some!! that will focus on building out a television slate for broadcast, cable and digital platforms.
Naegle, who formerly served as the president of HBO Entertainment, joins Annapurna after three years of leading her own television and film production company Naegle Ink. She currently serves as an executive producer on Cinemax's Robert Kirkman drama Outcast, and has a number of projects in development with various cable networks including HBO — all of which will now transition to Annapurna. Already in the works for the production company is a series for premium cable channel Epix written by Angela Robinson and Alex Kondrake about the intersecting lives of Hollywood icons and rivals Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich.
Also making the transition to Annapurna with Naegle will be her top execs Kit Giordano and Ali Krug, who will serve as senior vice president and vice president, respectively. Prior to joining Naegle Ink in 2013, Giordano served as a vp for Illumination Entertainment and Ben Stiller’s Red Hour Films. Krug, for her part, previously worked alongside Naegle in series development and production at HBO before going with her to Naegle Ink.
“We are thrilled to further expand our television business and continue our commitment to all forms of storytelling,” said Ellison. “I could not be more excited to have the opportunity to work with and learn from Sue Naegle. She has such a passion and understanding of this medium, and has truly approached it from every angle. As I’ve gotten to know Sue, not only is she brilliant with an astonishing expertise both creatively and for the business, but also, she’s an incredible person to invite into this close-knit group of individuals over here at Annapurna. Her track record speaks for itself and her values could not be more aligned with our goals as a company.”
"I am so excited to join Annapurna and help spearhead the exciting future of Annapurna Television. Annapurna is a company that has been unwavering in their commitment to building distinctive and bold programming in a time of unprecedented production,” said Naegle, who was instrumental in shepherding top shows including Emmy-winning series Game of Thrones and Veep during her time at HBO. “Whether I've been an agent, network president or producer, defending and nurturing innovative, compelling narratives and aesthetic excellence has been my mission and privilege. I’m so thrilled to find partners like Megan and her incredible team that share the same core philosophy, and I hope that this alliance will yield indelible television shows that reflect and challenge our culture.”
