UK-based Pioneer Productions is looking to bolster its US operation with the appointment of Change Content and Discovery alum Julie Meisner Eagle as executive VP of production and development.

Meisner Eagle will work alongside Pioneer’s head of factual, Peter Collins. She will report to CEO Howard Swartz, the former Warner Bros Discovery exec who was tapped to lead the company earlier this year.

Meisner Eagle was most recently the executive VP at Change Content in Washington, DC, where she produced, wrote and directed projects.

Before that she held roles at Discovery including VP of production and development for Travel Channel, VP for Discovery Life, director of production at TLC and executive producer at Discovery Channel.

Founded in 1988, Pioneer Productions was acquired by The Tinopolis Group in 2015. Other companies within the transatlantic group include A Smith & Co Productions, Fiction Factory, Firecracker, Magical Elves, Mentorn Media, MSV Post, Pioneer Productions, Sunset+Vine, Tinopolis Cymru and Tinopolis Factual Group Scotland.

Pioneer Productions’ recent projects include Louvre Heist: Minute by Minute, produced for Discovery Channel in the US, and Elton John: Touched by Gold and Gold: A Journey with Idris Elba. Upcoming projects for Pioneer include the PBS documentary Secrets of the Dead: The Quest for Camelot.

“Pioneer is entering one of its most exciting phases in recent years,” said Swartz. “We’re developing projects that embody the intelligence and ambition that define this company, while creating space for bold new ideas that resonate across platforms. As we accelerate our creative output, bringing in a leader of Julie’s caliber ensures we can scale thoughtfully while continuing to deliver the premium factual storytelling that’s core to Pioneer.”

Meisner Eagle added: “Pioneer has a long legacy in factual storytelling and an exciting vision for the future. I’m honoured and energised to help build on that foundation as we develop new projects across a variety of genres – from history, to pop culture, to wildlife and beyond – that appeal to audiences around the world.”