Toronto’s Pier 21 Films has appointed Nicole Butler and Vanessa Steinmetz to the role of co-CEOs as founder Laszlo Barna announces he’s transitioning to the position of chair.

Butler and Steinmetz now head all creative and business activities for the prodco, with the former leading development and production activities, and the latter overseeing financing and business operations, according to a news release.

They will focus on investment in Canadian stories for global audiences and the continued growth of the company as it aims to expand its development and production slate.

Collectively, Butler and Steinmetz have worked on more than 150 productions representing in excess of $3 billion in production spend across all genres and formats, said the release.

Butler has served as Pier 21’s chief operating officer since 2019 and has been an executive producer of comedy, drama, documentary and lifestyle content, in both creative and business capacities. She was previously VP of production at Entertainment One (eOne) and Barna’s previous Barna-Alper Productions.

Steinmetz is also an executive producer, with credits including Cardinal, The Rookie, Private Eyes and Sharp Objects. She also previously worked at Barna-Alper and eOne, where she was SVP of production finance, and ran Stone Carver Media, her own consulting company.

The appointments make Pier 21 “a fully female-led production company,” said the release.

Established in 2011, Pier 21 Films’ titles include three seasons of satirical news series The Beaverton for CTV, multiple seasons of CBC’s Run the Burbs, and the upcoming productions Late Bloomer and Don’t Even for Crave.

In a statement, Barna called Butler and Steinmetz “visionary executives” and longtime collaborators of his.

“Their international and domestic relationships and successful track records attract creatives who are telling some of our industry’s most diverse and unique stories,” he added. “This new leadership transition marks a milestone in the evolution of our company, and the beginning of what will no doubt be another transformative chapter.”

Steinmetz said the changing television landscape means “recognizing and supporting distinctive voices has never been more important,” adding that Pier 21’s “current slate is a testament to the incredible work being created in Canada.”

Butler said she and Steinmetz “have a shared vision of showcasing brilliant, original creative stories” and already have several projects on the horizon for both domestic and U.S. broadcasters. “We are constantly in admiration of the immense talent in our country and our doors are open for collaborative creators who are interested in telling meaningful and entertaining stories.”

Barna said he’s transitioning to chair  to have “more time to focus on corporate development, growth and financing.”

“That meant stepping back from the day-to-day administration of productions,” he said. “I always believed that the company needed as much time and attention as productions did, especially now in these times of massive change.”

Photo credit: George Pimentel