In my opinion, the Sussexes’ UK move sort of exposed the validity of many of the rumors around their business and philanthropy. In the months before Prince Harry and Meghan moved themselves and their kids to the UK, there was a steady hum in the trade papers and British papers about Archewell Productions losing staffers and about the shuffle of Archewell Philanthropies (which is their renamed foundation). My opinion? Harry and Meghan spent a lot of the past year downsizing every part of Archewell – their production company, podcasts and foundation – and I also think that they’re not going to be as involved with producing content for Netflix going forward. Well, their remaining Archewell staffers could see which way the wind was blowing. Their Head of Nonfiction, Film & TV just stepped down.
Chanel Pysnik is leaving Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Archewell Productions where she served as Head of Nonfiction, Film & TV for the past five and a half years.
No immediate replacement has been named for Pysnik who joined Archewell Productions in May 2021, less than a year after the company’s official launch with an overall deal at Netflix. During her tenure, Pysnik was an executive producer on Archewell’s Harry & Meghan, which became Netflix’s most viewed documentary premiere; With Love, Meghan, which received a Daytime Emmy nomination earlier this year; Archewell’s first feature documentary film Cookie Queens for Roadside Attractions, which premiered at 2026 Sundance Film Festival; as well as several other projects under the Netflix deal, limited series Heart of Invictus, Polo and Live to Lead and short film Masaka Kids, A Rhythm Within.
“Chanel was one of our very first hires at Archewell Productions and spearheaded the strategic framework for our unscripted endeavors,” Prince Harry and Meghan Markle said in a joint statement. “She brought not only her expertise into the process, but also led with her heart in telling beautiful stories. Many successful productions later, her impact and legacy at Archewell is to be celebrated. We are both championing her as she embarks on this next chapter.”
California-based Archewell Productions, which has a first-look deal with Netflix, has continued to operate after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle moved back to the UK in August with their children. The length of their stay is unknown; Markle has since signed on as a guest co-host on Junior MasterChef Australia.
“It has been an honor to build Archewell Productions alongside Harry and Meghan for nearly six years,” said Pysnik, who has not revealed her future plans. “Together, we have produced work that has broken records, earned awards, and screened at prestigious film festivals, while reaching audiences around the world and contributing to important cultural conversations. I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished, both creatively and commercially, and of the company we have built. I am grateful to Harry and Meghan for their trust and the opportunity to lead Archewell Productions through such a defining period.”
I’m glad there doesn’t seem to be any bad blood anywhere with this split. They’re all keeping it professional. But it does give a vibe that Chanel Pysnik saw the writing on the wall, and saw that moving forward, Archewell Productions was going to operate differently. Still, it was a good run – five-plus years at Archewell is nothing to sniff at. My hope for the Sussexes remains the same: GTFO of Britain as quickly as possible and recommit themselves to their California life, including their production and podcasting work, in addition to Meghan continuing to build As Ever.
Photos courtesy of Netflix.
I think Meghan prefers working on As Ever. I just hope they continue with their scripted projects. There are a couple I am really looking forward to.
Yep. As ever is expanding and poised to go international. My take on this is also that the Sussexes are moving away from unscripted productions to focus on the four scripted productions in the pipeline with Tracy Myerson for Archewell Productions. It would debunk constant tabloid chatter about them doing a Diana documentary, too 🤔
The last know projects for Archewell production are all scripted projects. I would think that ms. Pysnick would be looking for more challenging work elsewhere. My bet is that her next step is Netflix.
Also, I believe that the last person who left AP before her was over 2 years ago and 2023 before that. The foundation was restructured, not the production division.
Archewell has always been a distance management. Been in Montecito or the UK, doesn’t change the way the work can be done.
As for them moving to the UK, although it look like a whim, it clearly was in the making for a long time and reflect what they always wanted to do.
Over 5 years is a long time to be with a company especially in the entertainment business. All the best to her. I don’t know what it means for Archewell Productions and its future. Considering it’s rumored that Meghan wants to return to acting, could Archewell Productions be pivoting to productions starring Meghan?
This might be related to the huge changes at Netflix. Non scripted work like documentaries are prestige work for the company but never result in a lot of watching hours unless it is true crime docs. Archewell has scripted projects announced so they might be focusing on those. Sussex’s treatment of Archwell Productions has always felt a little unenthusiastic to me. They have never promoted their efforts properly. Only Cookie Queens got their attention and look how well it worked out for the little documentary, earning a few awards. To me it still wasn’t enough. So who knows? Maybe after the scripted projects are finished they might rethink what they will do with their producing endeavors.
Podcasting, as it is being done nowadays, is not a good match for Meghan. Meghan wants very sophisticated, highbrow topics discussed as an audio essay. She doesn’t want to do the video, she doesn’t want to do the weekly episode schedule that lasts season after season. That’s ok. But her type of podcasting approach is destined to be a high interest for a short period of time. Without video, she doesn’t support it with viral sound bites which make or break a podcast nowadays.
So I am really looking forward to the scripted work. I hope all will be promoted by red carpet, late night talk show appearances. the whole promo things.