The Woman Behind The Anglophile Channel

Meet Creator/Executive Producer, Marlise Boland

It was a sunny day in London when Marlise Boland and the TAC crew was filming a set-up in front of the Old Vic Theater where Arthur Miller’s The Crucible was playing. Marlise noticed a group of ladies snapping photos of her from across the way. She smiled and waved which prompted them to immediately cross the street to ask if she was the “The Anglophile Lady” – the one that interviewed Richard Armitage. Armitage, the British star of The Hobbit film series, North and South and Netflix’s The Stranger, was currently playing the lead in The Crucible and had quite the passionate following. Marlise’s interview with Armitage earlier that year had gone viral and became quite the topic of obsession within the fandom. Marlise answered yes and two women – from Italy – excitedly asked to take selfies with her. 

Later that year, at San Diego Comic Con, nirvana for fandoms of all obsessions, Marlise found herself fighting through mass crowds headed into Hall H when a group of fans stopped her, “OMG, we watch your OutlandDish shows! We LOVE you!” OutlandDish was the popular award-winning Outlander Recap series written/produced and co-hosted by Boland and streamed on The Anglophile Channel. 

If anyone had told Marlise Boland that she would not only be the head of a successful multi-media entertainment channel 20 years ago but recognized on the streets of London as that “Anglophile Lady” – she would not have believed it.

Having started out in musical theater and winning awards for her performances in productions of A Chorus Line (Cassie), Guys and Dolls (Adelaide), Westside Story (Anita), Man of La Mancha (Aldonza) and 110 in the Shade (Lizzie), Marlise’s career path was definitely leaning toward the performing arts.

After becoming the first Latina Miss California, and runner-up to Miss America 1989 Gretchen Carlson, Marlise was contracted to perform around the world in theaters and aboard the world’s largest and most luxurious cruise liners for Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Cunard. 

*Fun Fact: Broadway/West End Producer, Cameron Mackintosh had to give his personal permission for Marlise to sing the Les Miserables song,  “I Dreamed A Dream”, on NBC’s national telecast. 

Commercials and television roles also followed in William Shatner’s Tek War, Days of Our Lives and Santa Barbara. 

Never one to sit by the phone waiting for it to ring, Marlise always believed in creating her own opportunities. “I remember when I was a little girl, we had this babysitter who was good friends with Michael Lookinland (Bobby on The Brady Bunch.) One night she promised she would ring “Bobby” and let us talk to him. While the two other kids she babysat that night couldn’t wait to talk to BOBBY BRADY…I was flipping through a booklet of Hollywood talent agent’s names – that I had sent away for from an ad I saw on television – so when I got on the phone with Lookinland the first thing I asked was, ‘So, who’s Maureen McCormick’s agent? Do you all have the same agents? How did you get this job?’  I was young enough to have a babysitter but already figuring out how to get my foot in the door…..”

Always an entrepreneur, Marlise enjoyed producing live theatrical stage productions and had great success with high profile corporate events and subscription theaters with shows such as Stars of the High Seas, Best of Broadway, A Night at The Hollywood Canteen. 

Indie films soon followed with Found and the award-winning festival favorite, Fragile Storm starring Lance Henrikson. Marlise relished the independence that came with producing your own projects and the excitement that went along with making it happen!

Having traveled around the world experiencing different cultures Marlise first realized her affinity and deep love for Britain. She wanted to create a project that would bring her to Britain on a regular basis. What many may not realize is that Marlise’s love of all things Britannia goes much deeper than simply loving Jane Austen, Afternoon Tea at the Ritz, and Colin Firth. Having been adopted, Marlise discovered that her biological family on her maternal side all hailed from, and still reside in, Britain! It was kismet and sealed the direction her next creative project would take. Thus, The Anglophile Channel was born!

Since creating The Anglophile Channel, Marlise has built a brand that is now recognized, respected and loved by millions of Anglophile fans worldwide. Expanding TAC’s content from YouTube to other streaming platforms such as Amazon Prime Video, Boland has built an audience of devoted followers.

Most popular are The Anglophile Channel’s comedically creative recap shows: OutlandDish, Downton Dish, and PoldarkDish, which Marlise co-hosts with Elyse Ashton. PoldarkDish, in particular, caught the eye of the show’s creators at Mammoth Screen in London, who then invited The Anglophile Channel team to travel across the pond to visit the Poldark set and make an appearance on the hit BBC One period drama!

Other fan favorite’s have also included Marlise’s celebrity interviews, which quickly became fan obsessions thanks to her fun, relaxed approach that gets celebrities to say things they normally wouldn’t – just ask Sam Heughan of Outlander and Richard Armitage.

As Executive Producer of The Anglophile Channel, Marlise has forged professional relationships with The British Consulate, Los Angeles, BAFTA/LA, BritWeek, SKY UK, BBC, and Mammoth Screen.

Marlise produced The Anglophile Channel’s British Artist of the Year Awards, hosted by Her Majesty’s Consul General Chris O’Connor OBE and held at the British Residence in Los Angeles, where Downton Abbey’s Julian Fellowes and Gareth Neame were honored. Neame stated in his acceptance speech that he “hopes our association with The Anglophile Channel continues….”

Having developed a reputation as the “go to” authority on British culture, Marlise was a commentator/contributor on many news programs during Prince Harry’s Royal Wedding to Meghan Markle, traveling to Windsor, England with her team to cover the event live.

Marlise has led TAC’s Team to multiple nominations, honors and award wins including Los Angeles Press Club’s National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards for Best Arts & Entertainment Feature, Best Broadcast Critics, Best Anchor/Hosts, Best Pop Culture Feature, Best Entertainment Reporting. Marlise was also honored to be nominated for a British Media Award.

Marlise feels this is only the beginning for The Anglophile Channel. “We’re still a growing company”, says Boland, “our goals are long-term and varied.” The Anglophile Channel’s goal is to produce content that caters to a wide variety of Anglophile interests from fandom and romance to fashion and music.

Marlise recently wrote her first feature film, a rom-com, for Paramount Pictures called Promposal featuring a Latina lead character. “It was very important for me to create a lead that represents an underserved community and one that is so special to me. Making our female lead Mexican/American I was able to draw on a lot of the stories and experiences that were unique to the Mexican community I grew up with in Los Angeles.” 

Marlise also has a second Anglophile-themed movie, a modern adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, currently in development with Brad Krevoy at Motion Picture Corporation of America. 

For The Anglophile Channel Marlise is currently developing TAC’s first scripted comedy series, From Across The Pond, which follows a British Expat family to Los Angeles after they discover that they’ve inherited a rundown Hollywood motel and tourist company… and if Colin Firth should want to star in the series, Marlise wouldn’t say no.

Marlise lives in Los Angeles with her husband and co-producer, Paul Boland and their daughter, award-winning entertainment journalist Juliette Boland, a Film & Television Production student at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts.

Marlise enjoys afternoon tea, baking scones, and hanging out at Disneyland with her daughter. 

Follow Marlise on Twitter: @MarliseBoland and Instagram: @MarliseBoland

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