ITV Studios shakes up entertainment team

Formats-logo-460_2ITV Studios has upped Tom McLennan to director of entertainment, North, handing him a new role covering the responsibilities of Sumi Connock, who is leaving the company.

The content arm of UK broadcaster ITV has also hired Gail Harman from indie prodco Tuesday’s Child, and Martin Lau, who joins from Tellycopter, the NBCUniversal development unit that is being closed as the studio reviews its international unscripted operation, as TBI first reported last month.

Harman becomes creative director, development, ITV Studios Entertainment, starting this month. At Tuesday’s Child she was head of development and her credits include You’re Back in the Room and For What It’s Worth. Lau becomes development executive.

McLennan’s new Manchester-based role sees him take on the slate developed by Connock, the ITV Studios creative director who is exiting. She has just finished working on a Tricked special, and an unspecified US pilot, but will depart in the coming weeks.

McLennan is now in the new role and said: “I’m excited about the future of Manchester, we’ve doubled ITV Studios entertainment output in the past four years and have some new exciting shows in the pipeline. The team here in Manchester are some of the best in the business and working together we will carry on growing the North West business.”

Angela Jain, managing director, ITV Studios Entertainment said: “Our ITV Studios team in the North is very important to us and to signal the next wave of growth and leadership we have appointed Tom to an expanded role. His achievements are not just in launching new shows but also setting them up for long-term success. He has been a fantastic ambassador for the North, so this really is the natural next step for him. ”

She added: “In Gail I believe we have found, a creative thinker who can take charge of the next wave of new programmes.”

Jain took on her new post in April, succeeding Siobhan Greene, who became head of entertainment at the ITV commercial TV network.

Discovery Networks International’s senior VP, content and operations, Rosemary Newell, was hired to replace Jain as head of digital channels and acquisitions for ITV.

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