Arrow International Media (Arrow) has announced the creation of two full-time Heads of Production. These roles not only further strengthen Arrow’s Production team, they grow Production’s senior management presence with the company, helping to fuel Arrow’s growth in both television and audio.
Stephanie Mavropoulos and Carrie Pennifer take up the roles of Co-Heads of Production with immediate effect. Mavropoulos and Pennifer will be responsible for overseeing the company’s burgeoning slate of premium content for major US and UK broadcasters and platforms. Working across both Arrow Media and Arrow Pictures, each role will have its own balanced slate across factual series, feature documentaries, films and podcasts. The Co-Heads of Production will report directly to Managing Director, Iain Pelling.
Iain Pelling, Managing Director, Arrow, says: “Production is the beating heart of Arrow and works side-by-side with our Creative team. It enables us to make over 100 hours of high-quality content every year, and this number is growing. These new roles will enable us to accelerate the growth of the business, innovate and find new ways of doing things, and better navigate the changing landscape. Our investment in production complements our recent investment in technology; both are part of our strategy to continue to be a world-class factual business. We are delighted to have Stephanie and Carrie at the helm of Production. They have both played a significant part in Arrow’s success to date and we look forward to working with them in their new roles.”
Stephanie Mavropoulos joined Arrow when it was formed by Tom Brisley, Iain Pelling and John Smithson in 2011, and has led its production teams for over a decade. Stephanie leads a project from commission to delivery, ensuring budgets are met while supporting the high editorial ambitions of the company. She pioneered the production style that delivers returnable high-volume hits like the 20-parters of American Monster, See No Evil and Body Cam. Stephanie works across Arrow’s flagship feature length crime series, Mind of a Monsterand is responsible for their new 3 x60 mini-series brands. She has also worked on notable series including two-hour event doc Live From Space for Channel 4 and National Geographic; and BBC2 and Smithsonian co-production 747: The Plane That Changed The World. In 2020 she was the Co-Producer for Arrow Media’s Emmy-nominated theatrical release feature, Under The Wire.
Stephanie Mavropoulos says: “Production has always been a key part of the creative process at Arrow, and truly valued. These new roles perfectly demonstrate Arrow’s commitment to Production and its understanding of the huge contribution the function can make to the success of the business. It’s wonderful to be working with Carrie and contributing at a senior level.”
Carrie joined Arrow in 2012 as Production Manager on the Discovery series Ultimate Warfare. She went on to manage numerous successful series and one-offs including three seasons of the global hit observational documentary Ultimate Airport Dubai for National Geographic before being made Production Executive in 2016. During her near decade at Arrow, she has worked across Arrow Media and Arrow Picture’s entire slate of projects overseeing up to 70 hours in production simultaneously as well as those in development. These have been for all the major international broadcasters and include such iconic projects as Animal Fight Night, America in Color, See No Evil, Extreme Rescues, Speed, 9/11: Escape from the Towers and I, Sniper. In the run up to being made Co-Head of Production, Carrie has seen several projects successfully through the Pandemic. These include Arrow Media’s Shark Week documentary Rogue Tiger Shark: Hunt for Lagertha; and, for Arrow Pictures, the landmark feature documentary Generation 9/11 and Sky’s upcoming series on HIV/AIDS in Britain, Positive.
Carrie Pennifer says: “I am very proud to have been a part of Arrow’s huge success from its infancy to the fully fledged world-class production company it is today. In our new roles, Stephanie and I will have the opportunity to contribute further to the upward trajectory of the business and help drive Arrow to achieve its creative ambitions.”