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Skydance Hires TV Production Execs Julie Schwachenwald And Matthew Ariail, Promotes Matt Grimm in Motion Pictures

August 20, 2018

Skydance bolstered its creative film and television production teams with the hiring of Julie Schwachenwald as SVP of television physical production and Matthew Ariail as vice president of television physical production, and promotion of Matt Grimm as vice president of motion pictures production.

In their new roles, Schwachenwald and Ariail will be responsible for managing the production and operations for the company’s current and upcoming slate of television series. Grimm is charged with bringing in new material, developing and packaging projects, and is involved in the creative development and production of the company’s upcoming films including 6 Underground directed by Michael Bay and starring Ryan Reynolds and The Old Guard directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood.

Fresh off the box office success of Mission: Impossible – Fallout,  Skydance will begin shooting a Top Gun sequel, Top Gun: Maverick, and is currently in production on the latest installment of the Terminator franchise directed by Tim Miller and produced by James Cameron and David Ellison.

On the television side, Skydance will have five series on the air this year with more in development.  Its diverse television slate includes two Emmy-nominated series Grace and Frankie and Altered Carbon on Netflix, Condor on AT&T Audience Network, Dietland on AMC and Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan on Amazon.

Prior to joining the Skydance team, Schwachenwald served as vice president and head of scripted physical production at MTV, where she managed the day to day operations of multiple projects on the slate, including Awkward, Faking It, Teen Wolf and The Shannara Chronicles. Before working at MTV, Schwachenwald was a freelance line producer for networks such as VH1, MTV and E!, and her credits include shows like Crush, Totally Obsessed, For Love or Money, Duets and Military Diaries.

Ariail joined Skydance from Netflix, where he served as one of the first production executives for international originals, whose slate includes such original series as Sacred GamesSelection DayTidelands and The Witcher. He also played an integral part of setting up productions across India, Europe, Korea, Japan and Australia. Before Netflix, Ariail served as an executive at BBC Worldwide Productions overseeing scripted series such as HBO’s Getting On, Starz’s Da Vinci’s Demons and BBC America’s Intruders.

Grimm joined Skydance as the assistant to Chief Creative Officer Dana Goldberg in 2011. Two years later, he was promoted to creative executive where he was part of the creative team responsible for Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, Life and Mission: Impossible – Fallout. Prior to Skydance, Grimm worked freelance production in New York City where his film and television credits included Hope and Faith, Pride and Glory, Reservation Road and Just Wright. Grimm graduated from North Carolina State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication.

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