Appointment round-up: ITV names Media & Entertainment chiefs; Blue Ant ups Craig Junner; Rogo Productions rejigs

Kevin Lygo

ITV names Media & Entertainment chiefs

UK broadcaster ITV has appointed Sarah Clarke as COO at its recently created Media and Entertainment division.

Clarke will report to Kevin Lygo, MD of the Media and Entertainment Division, as will Jane Stiller, who becomes Chief Marketing Officer.

Clarke will have oversight of legal, business affairs, HR and operations, while Stiller will be responsible for delivering marketing strategy across ITV, including both its Media and Entertainment division and its digital products within On Demand.

Stiller was most recently ITV’s director of media, while Clarke was director of legal & business affairs for broadcast. The changes come after the UK operator restructured its business around streaming last month, with director of television Lygo heading up the new-look structure.

Sarah Etherden & Craig Junner

Blue Ant ups Craig Junner & Sarah Etherden

Producer, distributor and channel operator Blue Ant Media has promoted Craig Junner to become VP of programming for Canadian media and upped comms exec Sarah Etherden.

Junner now oversees all aspects of the content and programming strategy for Blue Ant’s eight linear Canadian channels, including acquisitions, original programming and scheduling, as well as strategy for the company’s portfolio of SVOD and AVOD channel offerings.

Etherden, meanwhile, has been promoted to VP of global communications and – like Junner – will continue to report to Jamie Schouela, president of global channels and media at Blue Ant.

“These promotions reflect the key roles that Sarah and Craig have both played in propelling Blue Ant Media’s growth and success as a best-in-class international content creator and channel operator,” said Schouela. “Both bring invaluable expertise, leadership and passion to their portfolios and will continue to be essential in driving the company’s momentum in our evolving industry.”

Howard Cohen & Natalie Hill

Rogo hires Howard Cohen & Natalie Hill

Recently formed London-based Rogo Productions has hired producer Howard Cohen and Hello Halo’s Natalie Hill as its co-creative directors.

The duo will head up in-house development and production at Rogo, which was formed earlier this year by Alex Holder as part of the AJH Films Media Group, of which he is CEO and founder.

Cohen is a Bafta-winning producer who has developed shows for companies including Warner Bros, Disney, Fulwell 73, Expectation Entertainment and Lion Television, while Hill was most recently head of development for Hello Halo, with credits on shows including The Apprentice for BBC One, Great British Menu for BBC Two and Stacey Dooley Investigates for BBC Three.

Holder, who is also CEO for Rogo, said: “Rogo means ‘to question’ and it is that inquisitive drive that underpins everything we do within the company. Nat and Howard bring with them that same creative curiosity, experience and energy that will allow Rogo to put that philosophy into practice.

“Having them heading up our growing creative team allows us to, not only fast-track our current slate into production, but also develop a rich mix of content across factual, entertainment and scripted comedy. Despite this year’s extraordinary circumstances and the challenges that has presented, the company has tripled in size and is currently in pre-production with a number of ground-breaking productions.

“Rogo as a company stands for inclusivity, diversity, creativity and our focus is on telling stories that reflect that ethos and engage global audiences interested in exploring those stories and ideas with us.”