Matt Thunell, the Netflix executive behind some of the streamer’s biggest offerings (including “Stranger Things,” “The Queen’s Gambit” and “The Umbrella Academy”), is departing for the post of president at Skydance Television.
Former Skydance TV head Bill Bost, who is exiting after 12 years, has inked a producing deal and formed his own production company Shingle.
Thunell will lead the development and production of Skydance TV’s expansive slate of series across all broadcast, cable and streaming platforms. He will also be tasked with overseeing the television production company’s creative, production, and business affairs teams.
“The past eight years at Netflix have been the most rewarding of my career,” Thunell said in a statement. “I am grateful to everyone at Netflix and am humbled to reflect on the ground-breaking series and world-class talent I’ve had the opportunity to support. Now, I am thrilled to take on this new opportunity at Skydance at such an exciting time in the company’s growth. I’ve partnered with [CEO] David [Ellison], [chief creative officer] Dana [Goldberg], and Bill for years, and can’t wait to work more closely with them, as we further expand the business. I also am honored to collaborate with Skydance’s incredible roster of talent and look forward to championing their creativity for audiences around the world.”
Meanwhile, Bost’s overall producing deal with Skydance TV will entail developing and producing premium commercial television projects exclusively for Skydance. That decision came after the wrapping of the series finale for Netflix’s longest running series, “Grace and Frankie,” which he oversaw. As part of his overall deal, he will remain as executive producer on the studio’s upcoming “The Big Door Prize” for Apple TV+, where he will continue to work closely with creator and showrunner David West Read (“Schitt’s Creek”), and on “Cipher,” starring Matt Bomer, which he will produce along with Anonymous Content for Peacock TV.
Longtime collaborators Bost and Thunell will work closely together.
Bost said, “For nearly 12 years, I have had the privilege of calling Skydance my professional home. Working alongside extraordinary storytellers on all sides of the camera has been a dream come true, and I am particularly proud of the team’s growth and success through the pandemic. Like so many, this period has also been a moment of reflection for me, balancing my deep connection to Skydance and the stories we tell, alongside my desire to become more involved in all aspects of creating and producing great TV. With David and Dana’s encouragement and full support, I am thrilled to say that journey continues as I launch this new company. Furthermore, I have had the pleasure of working closely with Matt through the years and look forward to continuing that support and collaboration.”
Prior to the new role, Thunell was at Netflix for eight years, where he most recently served as vice president of Spectacle and Event Television. In addition to the aforementioned titles, his team is responsible for upcoming series like Shawn Levy’s “All the Light We Cannot See” and David Benioff and DB Weiss’ epic saga “Three Body Problem.” He formerly served as VP of overall deals series, where he led the development of projects under longterm partnerships with the Duffer Brothers, Shawn Levy, Brad Falchuk, Mike Flanagan, Jason Bateman and more. “Thirteen Reasons Why,” “Shadow and Bone,” “Outer Banks,” “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina,” “Atypical,” “Grace and Frankie,” “Black Mirror” and “House of Cards” are among the series he has shepherded across his tenure. Thunell also helped found Netflix’s emerging director program. Before joining Netflix in 2015, he served as a creative executive at The CW, guiding development of the DC Comics universe and “Jane the Virgin.”
During Bost’s 12 years with Skydance TV, he was responsible for overseeing the Emmy-nominated hit “Grace and Frankie.” Under his leadership, the company also launched popular series like sci-fi drama “Foundation” for Apple TV+ and action-crime thriller “Reacher” for Prime Video, which is getting a second season. Bost began his career at the company as the executive assistant to CEO and founder Ellison, with whom he worked closely on blockbuster films like “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol,” “Jack Reacher” and “World War Z.”
Goldberg added, “After a hugely successful past few years, this is a milestone time for Skydance Television. Today we are doubling our executive and creative TV business talent by continuing to benefit from Bill’s creative vision in his new role as a supplier and collaborator, while welcoming Matt who brings remarkable expertise and passion during a particularly revolutionary time in our business. As we hit the ground running on this next phase, we are grateful beyond words for Bill’s tireless work at Skydance over the last twelve years, especially his passionate leadership and guidance of our television division and are thankful that he has chosen to stay a part of the Skydance family as he embarks on the next chapter of his career. Likewise, we are thrilled that Matt Thunell is joining the company to lead our television group into the future. In addition to simply being one of the best creative and strategic executives in the business, Matt has an incredible understanding of the global marketplace and a breadth of experience and relationships that are beyond compare.”
