True North has hired The Only Way Is Essex Exec Producer Fiona O’Sullivan as it prepares for a push into factual entertainment, features and formats.

O’Sullivan joins the indie from Lime Pictures as Executive Producer, reporting to the directors.

As well as ITV2’s TOWIE, Fiona won the commission for MTV’s Geordie Shore during her two-year stint at Lime’s Liverpool HQ. Previously, she was an Executive Producer at Shiver Productions.

O’Sullivan starts at Leeds-based True North this summer with a remit to build on its portfolio of formatted shows, which include BBC Daytime’s Food Fighters, Discovery’s Britain’s Toughest Cops and UKTV’s What The Neighbours Did.

The indie is now keen to secure a primetime slot on a terrestrial channel for one of its formats, having established a range of series following its history of producing one-off docs.

True North creative director Andrew Sheldon said O’Sullivan would help the indie realise its full potential.

“We feel the next step for us is a returnable fact ent show at the heart of primetime,” said Sheldon. “It’s a key factor in the continued growth of the business. We have returning shows in daytime and on digital channels, and we want to extend that onto the key terrestrial channels.”

He added: “It’s about turning something that might have been a one-off show into something that can return for two or three series.”

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