Sonya Wilkes Named Chief Content Officer At Eureka Productions

The Mole producer Eureka Productions is staffing up.

The Fremantle-backed company, which is also behind series such as Fox’s Farmer Wants A Wife and Netflix’s upcoming Willy Wonka series The Golden Ticket, has named Sonya Wilkes as Chief Content Officer.

Split between the company’s LA and Sydney offices, Wilkes was previously an executive producer at Beyond Productions. She previously co-created Pooch Perfect, the Australian series that ran for one season on ABC hosted by Rebel Wilson, and exec produced Peacock dating show Love Undercover.

She reports to CEO Rikkie Proost, who was promoted earlier this year from Chief Creative Officer as part of a move that saw founders Chris Culvenor and Paul Franklin create a new business – Eureka Studios – separate to the Fremantle-owned Eureka Productions.

Before Beyond, Wilkes was Head of Unscripted for Seven Studios, the production arm of the Australian commercial broadcaster, and Head of Programme Development at the network.

Also on Eureka’s slate are Fox’s The Floor and The Quiz with Balls as well as Apple music competition series Kpopped.

“Sonya’s extensive experience across both the U.S. and Australian markets makes her a perfect fit to spearhead the growth of Eureka’s international slate,” said Proost.  “Her leadership will be instrumental in driving creative innovation and delivering world-class content to our partners.”

“Eureka has an exceptional track record as one of the most innovative and prolific unscripted producers in the marketplace and I am truly excited to step into this role,” added Wilkes.   “I’m looking forward to working with Rikkie and the talented teams in both the U.S. and Australia to further elevate that success, creating bold, high impact shows that resonate with audiences across platforms.”