By Ibukun Keyamo
Most actors build a career by waiting for the right opportunity. Jack Yearsley has been doing the opposite. Since founding Lion & Swan Productions in London in early 2026, he has been generating his own work across theatre, education, and now screen, with a pilot project currently in development and set for pre-production this June.
The project, “UNTITLED: Family & Friends Project,” is slated to begin casting the last two weeks of June in Honolulu, Hawaii; an effort that Yearsley is leading in collaboration with Lē’ahi Productions. For Yearsley, this will mark his first formal project as a showrunner; as well as the first multi-cam sitcom to be produced in the islands, a part of the world Yearsley has always called home. The timing is telling. Less than a year after launching a theatre company in London, he is already working across two continents and two entirely different production formats.
“Art has always required cultivating conditions for creativity to thrive,” Yearsley said. “It requires love, dedication, and attention to detail. This pitch pilot will hopefully be the clearest expression of that to date.”
About Jack Yearsley
After graduating from one of the worldʻs leading drama schools, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), Yearsley has spent his time focusing on three major artistic fronts. His theatrical company, Lion & Swan Productions, currently produces devised work, which will be showcased this July at The Coronet Theatre alongside other RADA graduates. Additionally, Yearsley offers professional performance services across stage, screen, and voiceover; as well as provides advanced actor training built around a psychophysical methodology Yearsley has been developing. A process which he has begun to refer to as “neurosomatic anchoring”.
Each aspect of Yearsleyʻs efforts has been immensely active since his company launched. Between the theatrical production work that Lion & Swan’s artistic profile has been building in London’s independent sector, the ongoing training Yearsley offers as an exploration for serious performers, and the screen work, now formalized through the pilot collaboration with Lē’ahi Productions, Yearsley is on track to be a master of his craft; the likes of which the arts world hasn’t seen in generations.
What makes the model work is that none of these areas exist in isolation. The rigorous performance training Yearsley brings to his own acting feeds directly into the productions he mounts. The productions generate a professional artistic resume Hollywood has been desperate for. All of which bring new dimensions, with each and every step, to his personal practice. For a company less than a year old, that level of integration across different production formats is unusual.
“Every part of our work informs the other,” he said. “That was always the intention, and the pitch pilot is a good example of that in action.“
What Comes Next
The pilot represents a significant step in the direction Yearsley has been moving since Lion & Swan Productions launched. Yearsley has always intended to operate across London, New York, and Los Angeles, with screen work sitting alongside stage production as a core part of his interests. The “UNTITLED: Family & Friends Project” moves that timeline forward and does so in a location that carries personal significance for Yearsley as an artist.
For producers and casting directors watching Lion & Swan’s development, this pitch pilot is the clearest signal yet that Yearsley is building toward genuine international recognition. With his pedagogical credibility already established, Yearsleyʻs ambition to see this pilot make it to the screen may soon make him a household name.
“My heritage is everything to me. Hawaii is not only the place I am from, but the place I take with me wherever I go, ” Yearsley said. “Bringing this opportunity back home for casting just feels like the right way to begin this next chapter of my life.”
Those looking to collaborate with Yearsley or Lion & Swan Productions are welcome to reach out directly to the company for more information.
