Former ABC Studios SVP Creative Development Amy Hartwick has been named President of Television at Brad Krevoy’s Motion Picture Corporation of America, a leading supplier of holiday movies and producer of the popular Hallmark series When Calls the Heart and When Hope Calls. She will be spearheading the effort to build a scripted television division focused on the development and production of scripted series.
Among the first projects she’s taking on is a reboot of Damian Kindler’s 2007 sci-fi series Sanctuary, about people and creatures with extraordinary powers, which ran for four seasons on Syfy.
Hartwick also is developing a limited series based on UK novelist Adele Parks’ book Just My Luck, which explores how one couple’s contested lottery win has a dangerous knock-on effect both on them and their friends. BAFTA Breakthrough Brit AJ Riach’s UK-based Engage Productions is a partner on the project, which marks the first screen adaptation of a Parks novel. A search is underway for a writer-showrunner.
Sanctuary and Just My Luck were projects on MPCA’s slate that Hartwick identified when she started at the company last month and began pursuing. She also has been acquiring IP and developing original ideas that fit indie MPCA’s mandate as a supplier of four-quadrant content.
“Amy is an accomplished leader and excellent strategist who will lead us as we endeavor to replicate our success in producing top-rated holiday movies with excellent scripted television content that aligns with the values and brand promises of MPCA,” said Krevoy, founder and chairman/CEO of MPCA. “We are confident that Amy will make a lasting impression on the company.”
In her role as SVP Creative Development at ABC Studios, Hartwick oversaw the development and expansion of the Black-ish franchise, which includes the award-winning original series on ABC, hit Freeform spinoff series Grown-ish, and ABC prequel Mixed-ish. Since exiting ABC Studios in 2019, Hartwick has independently developed, packaged and sold multiple projects.
Prior to moving to ABC Studios in 2011, Hartwick was VP Comedy Development at ABC Entertainment for six years, during which she championed Modern Family as well as oversaw the development of The Middle, Happy Endings and Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23. Hartwick previously was director of comedy at 20th Century Fox TV, where she developed scripted series My Name Is Earl, Jake in Progress and 20th Century Fox TV’s first reality franchise The Simple Life. She began her career in the TV department at New Line Cinema before being accepted into NBC’s Associates Program.
“I am honored to be joining Brad, Eric Jarboe, Amanda Phillips and the rest of the extremely talented and hardworking team at MPCA,” Hartwick said. “This is an incredibly exciting time for the company as they continue to grow and expand and I am thrilled to be a part of it.”
MPCA produces Hallmark’s highest-rated series When Calls the Heart, which is headed into its ninth season, as well as spinoff When Hope Calls. Krevoy’s company also has produced numerous movies for Netflix and Hallmark Channel, including The Princess Switch, A Christmas Prince, Holiday in the Wild and Operation Christmas Drop, with new holiday films coming to CBS, Peacock and more. Krevoy is also known for blockbuster comedies like Dumb and Dumber.
via Deadline