Hilary Strong is stepping down as CEO of UK-based John Gore Studios.
Her departure was announced this morning as part of a reshaping of theatre impresario John Gore’s business. Strong is leaving to explore new opportunities, the company said.
John Gore Studios officially launched in January 2025 with Strong as CEO and has since invested heavily in backing new films and acquiring film and TV companies. Its portfolio includes Hammer Films, Icon Film Distribution, Kaleidoscope Film Distribution, Angels Costumes, Deep Fusion, Hilltop Screen, Silver Salt Restoration and Tyburn Films.
Its film slate includes John Madden’sOnwards And Sideways, which world premieres next month at Toronto, Mike Newell’s My Duchess starring Joan Collins and Isabella Rossellini, and Brian Welsh’s upcomingThe Return Of Stanley Atwell.
John Gore Studios will now join with Gore’s US-based theatrical company The John Gore Organization under a single holding company under the executive leadership of Gore. The John Gore Organization owns Broadway Across America, a major presenter and producer of touring musicals and stage plays across the US and Canada, as well as ticket operation Broadway.com.
In a statement, the company said the move would bring Gore’s film, television and theatrical businesses “under a common strategic vision that will enable them to reach an even broader audience on screens and stages worldwide”.
Strong is the former head of Agatha Christie Ltd, where she helped revamp the mystery writer’s estate as film and TV property, executive producing Kenneth Branagh’s 2017 feature Murder On The Orient Express and 2015 BBC series And Then There Were None.
She also co-founded International Literary Properties to manage IP for literary estates, and is a former commercial director at leading UK indie TV outfit Hat Trick Productions.
Gore said: “Hilary and the team took the business from zero to seven feature films in 18 months, which must be a record – all the while burnishing the legacy of Hammer Films and expanding into new technologies and complementary businesses to pave a path for the future. I am extremely grateful to Hilary for the significant role she has played in the launch of John Gore Studios and excited about this next chapter.”
Strong said: “I have adored my time working with John and the wonderful team we have put together to create John Gore Studios, and I will always be grateful to John for the opportunity, but we have both agreed that, with the reshaping of the global business, my work here is done. I wish the team every success for the future.”
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