Another senior All3Media International exec is exiting the Midsomer Murder firm following its parent’s merger with Banijay.
Jonathan Hughes is joining ITV Studios (ITVS) after ten years at All3Media International, and will take on the role of Vice President, Germany and Benelux Sales. ITVS has also promoted Louisa Forsyth to become Vice President, UK and Ireland Sales.
All3Media’s parent, RedBird IMI, and Banijay earlier this month completed their merger, creating the world’s largest production studio outside of the U.S. majors. It also brought together two major program distribution businesses, with exits likely given Banijay’s management previously stating they would look to make savings from the unit.
The day after the merger completed, we were first with the news All3Media International’s long-serving CEO, Louise Pedersen, was exiting the merged division, which will be known as Banijay Rights. Cathy Payne, Banijay’s sales boss, is leading the unit as Chief Exec.
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There have been other senior exec exits, with All3 COO Sara Geater and Group Director of Corporate Development Steven Brown leaving. UK trade Broadcast reported Banijay CEO and Executive Director Patrick Holland is expected to take over the UK business, which will comprise 65 production houses.
Hughes was All3Media International’s sales lead in German-speaking Europe, France and Benelux, shopping the likes of Midsomer Murders, All Creatures Great and Small, and Fleabag. He is credited with expanding All3Media’s German co-production footprint, securing pivotal deals for Van Der Valk, The Assassin, The Tourist, Boarders, and Generation Z, and oversaw format launches for The Traitors, Race Across the World, and Gogglebox.
Prior to that, Hughes spent eight years as Sales Manager at factual specialist Optomen International, whose parent, Optomen, was acquired by All3 in 2010 for £40M ($53.7M).
His new employer, ITVS, has also upped Forsyth to lead UK and Ireland sales from her previous role as Vice President of Global Content, Scripted. She has been with the company since 2018, having previously worked at Sky, which is now set to acquire ITVS’s parent ITV.
Hughes and Forsyth will both report to Jemma Harvey, ITVS’s EVP, EMEA & UK Sales and Distribution.
The appointments follow a spate of hires in ITVS’s unscripted team, namely Zack Wallace, Director, Unscripted, US & LATAM; Eliana Barbosa, Senior Sales Manager, Unscripted, Italy, Iberia, and CEE; and Ben Nohr, Sales Manager, Unscripted, France and Germany; with Lucy Pryke promoted from Sales Executive, Nordics, to Sales Manager, Unscripted, Nordics and Benelux.
