‘The Walking Dead’ Maker Skybound Launches Unscripted Division

The Walking Dead maker Skybound Entertainment is pushing into the unscripted game.

The firm has hired ex-Catalina Content exec Brent Jacoby to head up the new division, which will tap into pre-existing Skybound IP such as AMC smash The Walking Dead and Amazon Prime Video’s Invincible.

Jacoby will be focused on quickly expanding the global unscripted TV slate, although Skybound didn’t delve any deeper into his strategy. He joins at the same time as former MGM TV VP Chris Goble, who takes up the newly-created SVP of Television role. Both will report to TV President Glenn Geller.

Jacoby joins from Sky Studios-backed Catalina where he developed the likes of The Mighty Underdogs for Discovery+. Prior to that, he led the development team for ITV America’s Outpost Entertainment, working for the likes of Discovery, A&E, Food Network and Science Channel including History’s Knife or Death.

Goble comes to Skybound from Amazon’s Prime Video via the MGM merger, where he joined the tentpole, genre and universe group under Matt King. During his tenure at Prime Video, he oversaw Criminal by Ed Brubaker and co-showrunner Jordan Harper, as well as several high-profile MGM titles such as Robocop. Prior to Prime Video, Goble worked under the Orion banner at MGM TV as VP of Development.

Skybound has been expanding on multiple fronts of late and is looking international, with shows such as Prime Video Scandi thriller VAKA. It opened in Japan recently and invested in the French indie run by former France Télévisions commissioner Médéric Albouy.