Meghan Markle and Prince Harry asked Oscar-nominated and veteran Hollywood film producer, Ben Browning, to lead Archewell and build content for Spotify and Netflix in 2021. The couple also named James Holt as the new executive director of their foundation after Catherine St-Laurent, who joined Archewell in April 2020, quit.
Browning, whose film Promising Young Woman wowed the critics, said that he's thrilled to work for Archewell where he will help make diverse and uplifting stories. He also said that partnering with Spotify and Netflix will give the Duke and Duchess of Sussex "an unparalleled global reach."
Harry and Meghan quietly launched Archewell in October 2020 and then followed it up with the creation of Archewell Productions for their Netflix deal and Archewell Audio for their Spotify deal. The couple has released their very first episode for Spotify at the end of December last year.
Meanwhile, Prince Harry and Meghan promoted their spokesperson in the U.K. as the new Archewell executive director. Holt will lead the foundation's plans to help communities and deliver "acts of compassion." It is not known who will replace Holt as the couple's spokesperson on the other side of the pond given their fractured relationship with the British tabloid press.
Holt takes over for St-Laurent, who has started her own firm. According to reports, however, St-Laurent, who was also the couple's chief of staff, will still be helping Archewell as the senior adviser. It's unclear if Holt will also assume St-Laurent's job as the chief of staff.
St-Laurent previously worked for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation before joining Archewell last year. Harry and Meghan said that she will be an asset to the company when she was hired for Archewell.
The changes to Harry and Markle's brand come as the Duchess of Sussex faces a bullying investigation in Buckingham Palace. Their former personal assistant, Melissa Toubait, former communications officer, Amy Pickerill, and former private secretary, Samantha Cohen, lodged complaints of the way Meghan treated them when she was still a working royal.
The duchess, however, fiercely denied the accusations and said that this is a calculated smear campaign against her. She also, allegedly, demanded for all the documents pertaining to the investigation.
Meanwhile, Prince Harry and Meghan's Archewell replaces their Sussex Royal foundation after they quit their royal roles in early 2020. The couple said that they want their non-profit to be different than other foundations as they aim to deliver more concrete actions to help other people.
