Netflix executive Matt Thunell is leaving the streaming service to become the president of Skydance Television. Current president Bill Bost is stepping down to form his own production company, and has signed an overall deal with Skydance TV.
Thunell previously served as Netflix’s vice president of original series. He has had a hand in guiding some of the streamer’s biggest hits, including “Stranger Things.” Other shows he worked on during his time there include “The Umbrella Academy,” “The Queen’s Gambit,” “House of Cards,” “13 Reasons Why,” and upcoming shows like “Three Body Problem” from “Game of Thrones” creators David Benioff and DB Weiss.
“After a hugely successful past few years, this is a milestone time for Skydance Television,” said Dana Goldberg, chief creative officer of Skydance. “Today we are doubling our executive and creative TV business talent by continuing to benefit from Bill’s creative vision in his new role as a supplier and collaborator, while welcoming Matt who brings remarkable expertise and passion during a particularly revolutionary time in our business. As we hit the ground running on this next phase, we are grateful beyond words for Bill’s tireless work at Skydance over the last twelve years, especially his passionate leadership and guidance of our television division and are thankful that he has chosen to stay a part of the Skydance family as he embarks on the next chapter of his career. Likewise, we are thrilled that Matt Thunell is joining the company to lead our television group into the future. In addition to simply being one of the best creative and strategic executives in the business, Matt has an incredible understanding of the global marketplace and a breadth of experience and relationships that are beyond compare.”
In his new role, Thunell will be responsible for leading development and production of all Skydance TV projects. He will also oversee Skydance TV’s creative, production, and business affairs teams.
“The past eight years at Netflix have been the most rewarding of my career,” Thunell said. “I am grateful to everyone at Netflix and am humbled to reflect on the ground-breaking series and world-class talent I’ve had the opportunity to support. Now, I am thrilled to take on this new opportunity at Skydance at such an exciting time in the company’s growth. I’ve partnered with David, Dana, and Bill for years, and can’t wait to work more closely with them, as we further expand the business. I also am honored to collaborate with Skydance’s incredible roster of talent and look forward to championing their creativity for audiences around the world.”
Thunell also worked as part of the overall deals team at Netflix, leading development of projects with creators like the Duffer brothers, Shawn Levy, Steve Blackman, Brad Falchuk, Mike Flanagan, and Jason Bateman among many others. Before joining Netflix, Thunell was director of creative development at The CW, where he worked on the network’s hit DC series like “The Flash” and “Arrow,” as well as the Golden Globe-winning series “Jane the Virgin.” Before The CW, he held roles at Sony Pictures Television, Disney, and UBS.
“For nearly 12 years, I have had the privilege of calling Skydance my professional home,” Bost said. “Working alongside extraordinary storytellers on all sides of the camera has been a dream come true, and I am particularly proud of the team’s growth and success through the pandemic. Like so many, this period has also been a moment of reflection for me, balancing my deep connection to Skydance and the stories we tell, alongside my desire to become more involved in all aspects of creating and producing great TV. With David and Dana’s encouragement and full support, I am thrilled to say that journey continues as I launch this new company. Furthermore, I have had the pleasure of working closely with Matt through the years and look forward to continuing that support and collaboration.”
Under his new deal, Bost will remain an executive producer on both the Apple series “The Big Door Prize” as well as the Peacock series “Cipher,” which his company will produce alongside Anonymous Content. He is also an executive producer on several projects put into development while he was president of Skydance TV.
During his time at the top of Skydance TV, Bost oversaw shows like “Grace & Frankie,” which concluded after seven seasons at Netflix in April, making it the streamer’s longest running show. He also worked on shows like the sci-fi epic “Foundation” at Apple and “Reacher” at Amazon. He began his career at Skydance as the assistant to CEO and founder David Ellison.
