Channel 4 Hires Chief Financial Officer Amidst Layoffs

EXCLUSIVE: Ridley Scott’s production company has a new UK television chief.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor UTA announced Eric Iverson as chief technology officer, where he will lead information-technology strategy — joining the company as artificial intelligence and other tech developments are threatening to disrupt the industry. Most recently, Iverson served as director of product strategy Amazon MGM Studios, where he led product, user experience and AI efforts, and before that was chief technologist for media and entertainment in the Amazon Web Services (AWS) division.

ReachTV, the largest streaming television network for travelers, is adding two major executives to the company.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer “Sesame Street” parent company Sesame Workshop has named Dannette “Danni” Hill its first-ever chief people officer. In this newly created role, Hill will oversee human resources, leading a division that supports “innovative best practices and organizational excellence” for Sesame Workshop, per the global impact nonprofit.

Kathy Griffin‘s estranged husband Randy Bick is responding after she filed for divorce.

Channel 4‘s boss has apologised to a former employee for not properly investigating a “serious” allegation made against Russell Brand in 2009.However, the broadcaster found “no evidence” that Channel 4 staff knew about the allegations against Brand in a Dispatches programme before it aired.The 48-year-old comedian was accused of rape, assault and emotional abuse as part of the joint investigation with the Times and Sunday Times. Brand has strongly denied all accusations, which relate to a period between 2006 and 2013.Channel 4’s chief executive, Alex Mahon, said in a statement (via The Guardian): “While the investigation did not find any evidence to suggest that any Channel 4 employees were aware of Russell Brand’s alleged behaviour contained in the programme, it did find that one former Channel 4 employee made a serious and concerning allegation about Russell Brand in 2009.“This was not escalated to Channel 4’s then senior management team, nor investigated as it should have been.

EXCLUSIVE: Former A3 agents Katt Riley and Nick Beldoch have joined the Lit department at Independent Artist Group, Deadline has learned. Just two of over 25 agents IAG has recruited over the past 18 months, they’ll be reunited at the agency with former colleague Fatmata Kamara, who was hired as a talent agent earlier this month.

NBCUniversal Media Group has promoted veteran executive David Pietrycha to the newly created position of Chief Business Officer, reporting into the group’s chairman, Mark Lazarus. 

As Deadline revealed last night, former Verve CEO Bill Weinstein has joined Paradigm along with former Verve colleague Devon Schiff. Both join as agents in the Literary Content department and will be working out of Paradigm’s Los Angeles office.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Will Keenan has returned to the entertainment industry, joining Coy Creator, a startup touting a full-service “business-in-a-box” platform for digital creators, as chief revenue officer. Keenan had joined Endemol Shine North America in 2013, where he launched the company’s Endemol Beyond division.

Katcy Stephan Verve has hired longtime agent Valarie Phillips. The news comes just two weeks after the agency brought on non-fiction agent Jacy Schleier from CAA. Phillips, who brings more than two decades of agency experience to Verve, was most recently co-head of the motion picture literary department at A3 Artists Agency.

Meghan Markle has reportedly hired a UK-based PR person, sparking questions like "Why now? " This is the first time Prince Harry and Meghan have had a UK-based employee since they left the UK in 2020, according to Pandora Forsyth who recently appeared on GB News. Forsyth finds the timing curious, asking, "Why now? Why the business change? " Anne Diamond, the host of GB News, suggests that the new PR hire might be planning to recommend that the Sussexes spend more time in the UK as a way to win over the public.

EXCLUSIVE: Veteran talent agent Fatmata Kamara has joined Independent Artist Group, the agency’s Head of Global Talent, Andrew Rogers, announced on Friday.

EXCLUSIVE: CESD Talent Agency has expanded its theatrical talent agent roster with two new hires from the former A3 Artists Agency. Aron Giannini has joined CESD as Co-Head of its L.A. Theatrical Talent Department and Ross Silver as an Agent in its New York Theatrical Talent Department. Their new roles are effective immediately.

K.J. Yossman BBC Studios has tapped Nicola Pinn for the newly-created role of chief operating officer of factual productions. BBC Studios factual managing director Kate Ward unveiled Pinn’s promotion.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor SiriusXM named industry veteran Sarah van Mosel to the newly created position of senior VP of podcast strategy. It’s a return to SiriusXM for von Mosel, who previously served as chief revenue office at its subsidiary Stitcher.

Caroline Brew editor Growing its executive team under president Bill Damaschke, Warner Bros. Pictures Animation has hired Kim Mackey and Jessie Carbonaro as executive vice president of production and vice president of production talent, respectively.

Designer Jeremiah Brent has joined Netflix‘s Queer Eye for Season 9, following Bobby Berk’s exit in November following 8 seasons. Production on Season 9 is set to begin in Las Vegas later this spring.

Katcy Stephan Doug Fronk has joined the television literary department at Gersh as an agent and senior vice president. Fronk spent the last three years at A3 Artists Agency as a partner and head of television literary. Before that, he spent 19 years at Paradigm, where he worked his way up to become co-head of the television literary department.

CoComelon outfit Moonbug Entertainment is pushing deeper into Europe by striking a deal with Allente in the Nordics.