Toronto-based White Pine Pictures has appointed Karynn Austin to be its VP, scripted programming. Austin who joined White Pine two years ago will now manage the prodco’s scripted development slate for local and overseas markets in this newly created position.

Austin has more than two decades of experience in Canadian film and television programming and will focus on developing and producing multi-platform scripted content.

In addition, she will continue to oversee commercial releases for White Pine’s theatrical feature documentaries.

As part of its efforts to expand its presence overseas, the company has also announced the transfer of Maxim Gertler-Jaffe from its Toronto office to London, U.K., where he’ll act as its development manager for factual and scripted programming, also a newly created position. He steps into that role beginning March 1 and will be sussing out copro and pre-sale potentials for both factual and scripted series.

In a release on the promotion, Peter Raymont, president, White Pine Pictures, noted that the company’s experience with “entertaining and enlightening scripted television” included such series as Cracked and The Border.

Current shows in development include Wire Men, a six-episode, one-hour series on Alexandre Graham Bell and Thomas Edison; Gitmo, a series from David Weaver and Michelle Shephard (co-director, Guantanamo’s Child); and On the Edge, a series by Drew Hayden Taylor being co-developed with CBC. The slate also includes Mount Pleasant, The Pen and Common Laws.