Wise Child Studios has named veteran executive producer and showrunner Leslie Mattingly as head of documentary as the company expands its nonfiction team following the debut of “Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model” on Netflix.
“We are happy to be growing in such a challenging business environment,” said Wise Child Studios co-founder and CEO Jason Beekman. “Wise Child Studios was formed as a lean, nimble company with the reach of a full-service production shop, and that philosophy has led to incredible momentum in just over two years.”
Wise Child is riding high on the success of “Reality Check,” which has been buzzy since its Feb. 16 premiere. Mattingly is a seasoned executive producer and showrunner with experience at leading production companies including Fremantle and RadicalMedia. During her tenure, she collaborated with award-winning filmmakers including Joe Berlinger and Skye Borgman. She most recently led the History Channel’s mega-documentary series “The Great War,” overseeing production across multiple locations, including scripted sequences shot in Cape Town.
Mattingly also spent more than 15 years as a senior staff producer with NBC’s former long-form unit, Peacock Productions.
Wise Child Studios also executive produced the feature documentary “Asco: Without Permission” alongside executive producers Diego Luna and Gael Garcia Bernal. The film has screened at more than 15 festivals, including its premiere at SXSW 2025. It also opened the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival and screened at the New York Latino Film Festival, Chicago International Film Festival and Heartland International Film Festival, with additional screenings at MoMA, The Met and the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.
Since its founding in 2023, Wise Child Studios has focused on streamlining the creative process by pairing strong strategic leadership with in-house legal counsel, enabling the development of high-end projects on smaller budgets. In just one year, the company has built a highly curated catalog spanning scripted and nonfiction series, features and formats.