Mentorship and Collaboration: A Conversation with the Team Behind “Dr. Death”

Under his overall deal with UCP (Universal Content Productions), a division of Universal Studio Group, Patrick Macmanus serves as writer, executive producer and co-showrunner, alongside Liz Hannah, on Hulu’s ‘The Girl From Plainville’ starring Elle Fanning. Macmanus recently served as writer, executive producer and showrunner on the Critic’s Choice nominated ‘Dr. Death,’ for NBCUniversal’s streaming service Peacock. Macmanus has developed series at AMC, Starz, ABC, Sony Pictures Television, Fox Television Studios, NBC, Tribeca, CBS, Amazon, Netflix and more. He previously worked on SYFY’s ‘Happy!,’ starring Chris Meloni. In 2021, Macmanus expanded his production company, Littleton Road Productions, and formed Littleton Road Philanthropy with the goal of telling responsible stories and providing a call to action on culturally significant issues.

Macmanus was born in Ohio, raised in New Jersey and lives in Paris with his wife and two sons.

Beatrice Springborn is President of UCP and Universal International Studios, divisions of Universal Studio Group, where she oversees all aspects of the two studios’ award-winning slates.

UCP is known for genre-defying, ground-breaking and intentional storytelling with a sense of discovery including, “Chucky,” “The Umbrella Academy,” “Monk” and “Dr. Death.” This best-in-class studio collaborates with visionary storytellers including Nick Antosca, Selwyn Seyfu Hinds and Tanya Saracho.

Universal International Studios partners with storytellers from around the globe to create bold and distinctive shows with universal resonance like “We Are Lady Parts,” “Downton Abbey,” “Apples Never Fall” and “The Day of the Jackal.”

Before returning for her third tour of duty in Hollywood, Kelly spent a decade at sportswear brand FILA, most recently as Senior Vice President, Marketing for North America. She was part of the global executive leadership team who returned the company to a $5 billion enterprise that won the footwear industry’s highest award in 2018.

Prior to FILA, Kelly had senior operations roles in a U.S. Senate campaign, at nationally renowned political ad agency Jamestown Associates, and at Furniture Co, a high-end retail store and interior design firm.

But Kelly’s career is rooted in entertainment; she got her start working for Cary Woods as he produced the first projects of writer/directors Jon Favreau, James Mangold, Alexander Payne, Scott Rosenberg and M. Night Shyamalan, among many others. Under her own company, Film Generator, she was associate producer on Jonas Pate’s SHRINK and championed the early works of author Gregg Hurwitz, Broadway dramatist and screenwriter Jon Hartmere, and television writer Patrick Macmanus.

Ashley Michel Hoban grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, where she watched too much television. She earned her MFA in Writing and Directing at NYU’s Graduate Film and Television Program. She has written, directed, and produced on shows including THE GIRL FROM PLAINVILLE (Hulu), DR. DEATH (Peacock), HAPPY! (SYFY), and MARCO POLO (Netflix). Her short films have screened and earned awards internationally. She is based in New York, where she still watches too much television.

Jeff Conway is an Emmy-nominated TV Host and the leading Hollywood interview writer at Forbes. His latest exclusive conversations include Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Costner, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Julie Andrews, with a dedicated focus to authentically showcase to the more human side of these high-profile individuals.