Senior TV executive Sonya Wilkes has joined Eureka Productions as chief content officer, working across the company’s Sydney and LA offices.
Wilkes has spent the past four and a half years as an executive producer at Beyond Productions, where her credits include Peacock’s relationship reality series Love Undercover, Hulu’s Back in the Groove, and ABC’s Pooch Perfect.
She also has experience in senior leadership roles at Seven Network, serving as head of unscripted, head of development, executive producer, and network executive.
During this time, she co-created and produced House Rules, Bride & Prejudice, My Restaurant Rules, World’s Strictest Parents, Hell’s Kitchen, The Real Full Monty, and more.
In her new role, Wilkes will report to CEO Rikki Proost, who took on the top job at the start of the year when Eureka Productions’ founders Chris Culvenor and Paul Franklin launched a new venture, Eureka Studios, focusing on new global unscripted formats as part of a three-year deal with Fremantle.
She said Eureka had an “exceptional track record as one of the most innovative and prolific unscripted producers in the marketplace”.
“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,” she said.
Eureka’s current slate includes The Floor (FOX, Nine Network), Farmer Wants a Wife (FOX, Seven Network), The Quiz with Balls (FOX), Australian Idol (Seven Network), and Amazing Race Australia (Network Ten), as well as upcoming shows The Golden Ticket (Netflix), and international music competition KPOPPED (Apple TV+).
Proost said Wilkes’ experience across the US and Australian markets made her a perfect fit to spearhead the growth of Eureka’s international slate.
“Her leadership will be instrumental in driving creative innovation and delivering world-class content to our partners,” she said.