Original Content Lab Expands Senior Team with the Appointment of Heidi Schorn as VP of Development

In just a year after forging an exclusive, multi-year strategic partnership with Vancouver’s Great Pacific Media (GPM), Sean Connolly’s Original Content Lab (OCL) is expanding its senior leadership team with the appointment of Heidi Schorn as VP of Development.

In the newly created role, Schorn will apply her multifaceted background in development and production to continue to cultivate and manage relationships with a range of partners, creators, and talent to further build OCL’s development slate.

Schorn has more than 13 years of experience as an unscripted executive, creating and executing top-tier content across all genres, and for a variety of platforms. Most recently, she served as VP of Development and Executive Producer of Unscripted at Toronto-based production company, Alibi Entertainment.

She has had a hand in developing several hit series and format adaptations in lifestyle and factual genres and continues to demonstrate a deep understanding of the evolving marketplace.

Schorn’s range of credits include factual and documentary series such as two seasons of Crossroads: Beyond the Boom and Bust (TVO), Klondike Trappers (History Channel Canada), format adaptations such as This is High School (CBC), original lifestyle series Bake It Possible (Food Network Canada) and, most recently, Staying Inn: Hotel Julie (CTV).

‘We are so pleased to have a talent as experienced and respected as Heidi onboard the senior team’, said Sean Connolly, OCL CEO. ‘Her proven abilities in both content development and business strategy, along with an impeccable reputation industry-wide, combine to create an unstoppable force that will further fuel OCL’s ambition to be a leading creator of buzz-worthy content’.

‘I’m excited to join Sean and the team and be a part of a unique company with an innovative approach to development’, said Schorn. ‘Sean has had an abundance of success creating hit series in a variety of genres, and has built a strong foundation of partnerships internationally. I’m looking forward to expanding the slate and broadening relationships with talent, creators and buyers, to further build on the reach of OCL’

OCL is currently focused on developing primetime unscripted, as well as kids and animated series, for the global market that GPM will produce under the terms of their strategic partnership. The company is represented by Hayden Meyer of APA in the U.S.

LC