MUMBAI: FremantleMedia Australia (FMA) has appointed Jo Porter to the new role of director of drama. Porter will be responsible for the strategy and production of all drama content for FMA, and will report into FremantleMedia CEO Asia Pacific Ian Hogg.

Hogg said, "FMA has a long and successful heritage of creating leading drama productions which have been successful in Australia and around the world. Over the last three decades our company‘s pedigree in producing long running, best in practice drama is extraordinary. Reg Grundy pioneered programmes such as ‘Prisoner‘, ‘Sons and Daughters‘ and ‘Young Doctors‘, all of which were ahead of their time, along with ‘Neighbours‘ which is about to begin its 27th year on air.

"This is an outstanding testament to our existing capabilities in drama and we have very clear ambitions for the future. I can think of nobody better than Jo to build on our success and lead an expansion in drama production for FMA, as we look to export our stories and culture to the world stage."

FremantleMedia COO Gary Carter added, "Drama production continues to be a crucial component of our business internationally and the appointment of Jo Porter in Australia will have a global impact. Jo will collaborate with our Worldwide Drama team to develop Australian stories and productions for the international market. We are incredibly excited to have Jo on board."

Porter has spent much of her career with the Seven Network in Australia. She joined Seven in 1997 to establish and produce All Saints. The series quickly became one of the most popular dramas on Australian television, winning AFI Awards in 1999 and 2000 and a Logie Award in 2001.