Irish screenwriter and actor Sharon Horgan, the woman behind Channel 4 comedy Catastrophe and HBO series Divorce, has signed a two-year exclusive deal with Amazon Studios, the company said.
In addition to the personal deal, Merman, a production company set up by Horgan and co-founder Clelia Mountford, has agreed a first-look deal with Amazon Studios, which will get first-look rights to Merman programmes to which Horgan is attached.
It has also acquired the rights to remake television series produced by Merman, which has offices in Los Angeles and New York.
Ms Horgan came to prominence as the co-creator of BBC comedy series Pulling and later had a hit with Catastrophe, which she co-created and co-starred in with Rob Delaney. Catastrophe was later acquired by Amazon for its Amazon Prime streaming service.
The deal comes amid expectations that competition between streaming rivals Amazon, Netflix and others – as well as mega-mergers elsewhere in the entertainment business – will prompt a poaching frenzy for key creative talent.
Amazon said Ms Horgan was “one of the sharpest and most engaging” of actors, writers and directors working in television today. “We are thrilled she is expanding her collaboration with us at Amazon to create new groundbreaking content,” said Sharon Tal Yguado, head of scripted series for Amazon Studios.
“Her strong creative voice and storytelling sensibility have resonated with audiences globally and will make for outstanding shows for our Prime members.”
Ms Horgan, in partnership with Delaney, won a Bafta for writing Catastrophe, while she has been nominated for an Emmy for the same series. She is also the co-writer of BBC Two's parenting comedy Motherland.
