Marrying big talent with big ideas

Marking her 10th year at Nutopia in 2025, Samantha Fernandes oversees the day-to-day running of the development team across all genres while also assisting with broader company strategy and planning. She has played a key role in the creation of premium, talent-driven series such as Limitless with Chris Hemsworth and Welcome to Earth with Will Smith (Nat Geo), The World According to Jeff Goldblum (Disney+), and the forthcoming Tom Hanks–fronted WWII series for the History Channel; history docudramas including The Royal Mob (Sky History) and true-crime titles such as Vendetta (Netflix); and the Daytime Emmy–winning travelogue José Andrés & Family in Spain (Discovery+).

"In less than a decade, Sam has shot up through the ranks at Nutopia and proven herself a true development star," says Nutopia CCO Simon Willgoss. AT

What made you want to enter the unscripted/non-fiction content business?

"Being from a small Canadian city, I grew up in awe of the glamor of big Hollywood films and their iconic stars, but also loved powerful journalism and documentary storytelling. I never imagined I'd find a career that would bring those two worlds together. I feel very lucky every single day."