Debbie Cuell.
Debbie Cuell will rejoin the roster of executive producers at Endemol Shine Australia (ESA) next month after serving as head of entertainment at the ABC for 12 months.
Cuell spent nearly 18 months at ESA working on shows such as Look Me in the Eye for SBS before the ABC hired her following the departure of Jon Casimir, who joined Andrew Denton’s Legacy Media which produces Interview for the Seven Network.
She is the second recent high-level exit from the ABC following the resignation last month of Rebecca Heap, head of distribution, entertainment and specialist. Head of children’s Michael Carrington is acting in that role while the ABC searches for a successor.
ABC head of factual and entertainment Josie Mason-Campbell has taken on Cuell’s responsibilities for the immediate future.
An ABC spokesman told IF that Cuell had completed her 12-months contract after her “great work on programs such as Tonightly with Tom Ballard, Think Tank and the successful evolution of Gardening Australia into its current one-hour format.
“The ABC wishes Debbie all the best and looks forward to working with her in a different capacity in the near future.”
Cuell has worked as an executive producer for a host of production banners including Warner Bros International Television Production Australia, Banijay’s Screentime, ITV Studios Australia, FremantleMedia Australia, McAvoy Media and Denton’s Zapruder’s Other Films.
Her EP credits include Who Do You Think You Are and Taking on the Chocolate Frog for SBS, The Great Australian Spelling Bee (Network Ten), Coast Australia (Foxtel’s History channel), Kings Cross ER (Nine Network) and The Gruen Transfer (ABC).