Dov ​Freedman
CEO & Founder

Dov founded Curious Films in 2018 and oversees the entire company operation whilst executive producing all of Curious’ output. Having worked in the TV industry for over 20 years his hit shows include The Island with Bear Grylls, An Hour to Save Your Life and Banged Up Abroad. He also originated premium documentaries including The Trouble With Dad, The Last Nazis and Young Soldiers.


Charlie Russell
Creative Director & Founder

Charlie founded Curious with Dov in 2018 and is responsible for the creative direction of the company’s output. He is a double BAFTA and EMMY award-winning director who has made over 20 documentaries for British television, including the highly acclaimed Chris Packham: Asperger’s & Me, (winner, Best Director, Factual, BAFTA 2018) and his seminal film about assisted dying with Sir Terry Pratchett, Choosing To Die, which won every major documentary award including the BAFTA, EMMY, Grierson and RTS.

Nicky Varley
Head of Production

Nicky joined Curious in 2018 and oversees the entire production slate as well as helping steer the company’s strategic and operational strategy. Prior to this she spent 10 years in production management across multi-platform broadcast, branded & commercial content, delivering to major UK & US broadcasters, SVOD platforms & international brands.


Kim Shillinglaw
Non-Executive Director

Having held some of the most senior roles in British Television, Former Controller of BBC2 and BBC4, and ex-Factual Director of Endemol Shine, Kim brings a wealth of strategic advice and industry knowledge to Curious’ board.

Jessie Versluys
Executive Producer

Jessie is one of the most highly respected documentary makers currently working in British television. She won a BAFTA for her film Katie: My Beautiful Face and has overseen 4 series of 24 Hours In Police Custody. At Curious, Jessie has helped steer The Accused: National Treasures On Trial for Channel 4 and is now overseeing a major new series for a streamer.

Mark Raeburn
Finance & Commercial Officer

Mark was Head of Programme Finance at Channel 4 for eight years, overseeing a budget of £700 million. He now supports a handful of select indies, including Minnow & Renowned Films.

Becky Kent
Head of Development

Becky’s development credits include The British Tribe Next Door (Channel 4), The Trial of Louise Woodward (ITV) and What Are We Feeding Our Kids? (BBC1) at Voltage TV, Hometown: A Killing (BBC3) at 7Wonder, and A House Through Time (BBC2) at Twenty Twenty.

Andrew Slater
Development Executive

A highly experienced producer and director who has worked on multiple series of 24 Hours In Police Custody, Hospital, Exodus, SAS: Who Dares Wins and Our War, Andrew previously produced Curious’ first Netflix commission Running With The Devil and now plays a senior leadership role across development and production.

Holly Davidson
Development Producer

Holly joined Curious’ development team in 2021 from her previous position at ITN. Since then she has played a major role in growing the development slate, including originating a new feature doc for a major Streamer.

Rachel Vaknin
Development Producer

Rachel has worked at Blast!, Raw and Darlow Smithson and brings a wealth of experience across a range of factual genres including history, science and true-crime, for broadcasters in the UK and around the world.

Charlene Chika Osuagwu
Producer

Charlene joined Curious films in 2021 to produce Making Sense Of Cancer With Hannah Fry and a forthcoming 2-part series for Channel 4. She is now working on a major new series for a global streamer. Prior to Curious she made Ian Wright: Home Truths for the BBC.

Kat Bee
Line Producer

Kat Bee worked on one of Curious' first ever productions, Chris Packham: 7.7 Billion People & Counting for BBC2 and has returned to look after Making Sense Of Cancer With Hannah Fry, The Accused: National Treasures On Trial, a major new 2-part series for Channel 4 airing in 2023, and a new 3-part series for a global streaming platform.

Yasmin Heidary-Milic
Production Coordinator

After a career in law, Yasmin joined Curious in 2019. Her credits include Caroline Flack: Her Life & Death and The Accused: National Treasures On Trial for Channel 4, Reclaiming Amy and Being Frank: The Frank Gardner Story for BBC2. She currently works across all Curious productions.

Iwona Goncalves
Production Accountant

Iwona has a CIMA Advance Diploma in Management Accounting and 9 years of experience as a production accountant in the TV industry. She has more than twenty credits including American Murder for Netflix, The Moaning of Life for Sky 1, and Inside the Mind of Agatha Christie for Channel 5.

Joel Stolz-Hunter
Researcher

Joel studied film at Birmingham City University before joining Curious in 2021. He has since gained his first broadcast credits on Making Sense Of Cancer with Hannah Fry and Squad Goals: Dorking Til I Die, and is now working on a major 4-part series.

Izzy Townshend
Company Coordinator

Izzy joined Curious in 2023 to help with the day-to-day running of the office and support the senior management team. She is a graduate of Theatre and English from the University of Bristol.