Former History, MTV Execs Julian P. Hobbs, Elli Hakami Launch Talos

U.S. television producers Julian P. Hobbs, who most recently headed up scripted development and production at History, and Elli Hakami, who was formerly MTV’s exec VP of current series and programming, have launched New York-based Talos Films.

The new company, which has the backing of distributor Sky Vision and independent producer October Films, will produce a diverse range of content suitable for a global audience from event documentaries and docu-dramas, to character-driven unscripted series, formatted shows and scripted projects.

At History, Hobbs oversaw “The Bible,” “Vikings” and the upcoming “Roots.” As a VP and EP at History, Hobbs developed and oversaw numerous hits including “Pawn Stars,” “Storage Wars,” “Counting Cars,” “Ice Road Truckers,” “America: The Story of Us,” and the Emmy Award-winning “Gettysburg.” Hobbs also headed up History’s feature documentary unit, executive producing films including Werner Herzog’s “Cave of Forgotten Dreams” and Errol Morris’ “The Unknown Known.”

At MTV, Hakami oversaw hit series including “Catfish” and “The Challenge,” as well as “True Life” specials. Hakami was previously the senior VP of unscripted programming and production at BBC Worldwide Productions, where she tripled the studio’s unscripted output and oversaw the development and production of many specials and series including “Americans on Bed” (HBO), Emmy-nominated “Life Below Zero” (NatGeo), “Richard Hammond’s Crash Course” (BBCA) and “What Not to Wear” (TLC). Hakami also launched and led Discovery’s New York and Los Angeles development offices.

Hobbs and Hakami will serve as co-presidents of Talos Films, which will include Adam Bullmore, head of October Films, and Sky Vision chief Jane Millichip on its board.

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Martina Birk

Update: 2024-07-06

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