Jane Root has formed her own production company, Nutopia, and has won a major commission from History US.

The former BBC2 controller and Discovery Channel president and general manager has been off the radar since she left the US network in 2007.

The first commission for Nutopia will be docu-drama America: The Story of Us. The 12 x 60-minute series will detail the story of how modern America came to be.

Using CGI technology and dramatisation, viewers will see how innovations in technology and engineering, conflicts and visionary thinkers made the US the country it is today.

The series will be delivered in 2010.

Author: Robert Shepherd.