DLT Entertainment Bolsters Development Team With Two New Appointments
London. 25 November 2014. Leading UK television execs Darren Smith and Jack Cheshire have joined international producer and distributor DLT Entertainment’s expanding development team, it was announced today.
Smith and Cheshire will be charged with driving DLT’s comedy production through the development of scripted and non-scripted content and format adaptation as well as developing new entertainment programming for UK and international broadcasters. Both will report directly to DLT President, Don Taffner Jr.
Announcing the appointment, Don Taffner, Jr., said: "Jack and Darren have a wealth of experience in the comedy and entertainment genres, having worked on both the production and commissioning side. They both have an impressive list of credits to their name – having brought some of the UK’s most successful shows to the screen in recent years – and working with the best talent on and off screen. We're thrilled to welcome them to DLT at a time when we are looking to expand our original content output.”
This latest news follow the announcement earlier this year that DLT had appointed Margaret Enefer as Head of Drama charged with expanding the indie’s dramatic content through original series and adaptations.
DLT’s UK production and development team working across all genres includes John Bartlett, Margaret Enefer, Michaela Hennessey-Vass, Robert Katz and Rohan Acharya. Cheshire and Smith will join the team in the London office this month. Smith joins DLT from Twofour Broadcast, where he held the position of Head of Entertainment, and was most recently executive producer on ITV’s primetime Saturday night entertainment format Splash. Smith was also the driving force behind other notable shows including Paddy McGuiness’ Show and Telly (ITV) and Sally Lindsay’s Christmas Presents (Sky 1). Before joining TwoFour Smith was Commissioning Editor of Entertainment and Comedy at Channel 4, bringing ratings-winning hits including 8 Out of 10 Cats, Big Fat Quiz of the Year and Friday Night Dinner to the screen.
Cheshire joins DLT as a specialist in comedy writing and production. In his previous role as Head of New Comedy at the BBC he was instrumental in raising the profile of talented, upcoming comedians. He has held an Executive Producer role on shows including Three At The Fringe (BBC Three) and CBBC’s BAFTA-nominated comedy Big Babies. Cheshire also created and produced The Wrong Door (BBC Three) which was nominated for a Best Comedy Award at the Rose d’Or Festival.
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About DLT Entertainment
With offices in London, New York and Los Angeles, DLT Entertainment Ltd. is engaged in every aspect of television distribution and production around the world, as well as stage production in the US and in the UK.
Founded in 1963 as a distribution company by Don Taffner Senior, the company added television production to its portfolio in 1977. DLT Entertainment has enjoyed terrific success over the last forty plus years with legendary hits including the multiple award-winning sitcom My Family, As Time Goes By, Three’s Company, Too Close For Comfort and Meet My Folks. In addition DLT has built a reputation as a leading distribution company with classics such as The Benny Hill Show, The World at War, The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Cinema Europe: The Other Hollywood and The Russ Abbot Show.