HBO Films boss quits

Colin Callender

• Increase image
• View all images

HBO Films president Colin Callender has left the US cable network after 21 years to form his own production company.

Under Callender's stewardship, HBO Films amassed 84 Emmys and 26 Golden Globes and oversaw several co-productions with the BBC, including Tsunami: The Aftermath, The Gathering Storm and Conspiracy.

The British-born executive's most recent projects include TV movie Recount, shown on More 4 earlier this month, mini-series John Adams, which is currently playing out on More 4 on Saturday early evenings, and David Simon's mini-series Generation Kill, due to air on FX UK early next year.

"This past year at HBO Films has been nothing less than extraordinary, and it's the perfect time for me to move on to a new challenge," said Callender.

"My career has been shaped by the one constant in this industry – change – and for some time, I've had a hankering to return to my entrepreneurial roots. With the industry in the midst of a major transformation, and coming off this great year, I can't think of a better time to launch my own company."

He added: "Working at HBO has been a wonderful experience. We took risks and broke all the rules. I enjoyed unique creative freedom and had the privilege of working with some of the finest creative talent on both sides of the camera. I got to share this amazing ride with a group of colleagues who are among the smartest in the business."

Callender's duties will now be divided between Kary Antholis, who is promoted from senior vice president of HBO Films and Miniseries to become president of HBO Miniseries, and Len Amato, senior vice president of HBO Films, who will become HBO Films president.

Callender began his production career at London's Royal Court Theatre. He won his first Emmy in 1983 for one of Channel 4's first major series, the nine-hour television adaptation of the Royal Shakespeare Company's stage production of The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby. That same year, he launched TV and film indie The Callender Company.

Callender joined HBO in 1987 as executive producer of HBO Showcase (later HBO NYC) and became president of HBO Films in 1999.

In 2003, he was awarded a CBE for services to British film and television.