Shamah and Campbell join Audible Originals commissioning team

Audible Originals has added Lydia Shamah and Matthew Campbell to its commissioning team.

Their main task will be to commission long-form drama of five to 10 hours, with a lesser focus on episodic, podcast dramas, the company said.

Shamah, appointed to commissioning editor, started her career at Carol Mann Agency where she worked in content development and rights acquisition. Most recently, she was director of content development for Serial Box, working on serialised stories for franchises like Marvel and "Orphan Black".

Campbell, given an editor role, has written for TV shows including “EastEnders”, “Hollyoaks” and “Ackley Bridge”. Most recently, he was script editor at The Forge, makers of Channel 4’s BAFTA-winning “National Treasure” and the BBC’s RTS-nominated “The Miniaturist”. 

The pair will work under senior director Steve Carsey, the former chief creative officer at ITN Studios and creator of “Robot Wars” and “The Match”.

He said: “We're so thrilled to be expanding our Originals team in the UK with such talented hires. We've seen phenomenal success with our “Alien” and “X-Files” dramatisations, have innovated with sound-rich dramas like Jeff Wayne's “The War Of The Worlds” and breathed new life into much loved classics like Northanger Abbey with Emma Thompson. Over the coming months we'll be expanding our drama output, announcing new productions with world-famous franchises and developing new dramas with exciting emerging talent. Audio is booming and the appetite for original storytelling has never been stronger.”