Richard Rowe exits Turner for DHX

Richard Rowe has exited Turner Broadcasting System EMEA’s original children’s TV commissioning team to join DHX Media, TBI understands.

Rowe has been with Turner International in the UK for 12 years, most recently as director of acquisitions and original series.

It has been confirmed he left Turner EMEA recently and has taken up a consultancy post at DHX.

The news comes just days before Kidscreen, the international children’s TV market in New York, where Rowe was a well-known face as the first port of call for producers with original shows to pitch Turner, which operates Cartoon Network and Boomerang among other channels in the US and internationally.

Rowe’s new employer, DHX, has been the most acquisitive children’s TV company in the market in the past 12 months, buying In the Night Garden rights owner Ragdoll Worldwide and Bell Media’s specialty channels Family Channel, Disney XD and Disney Junior (English and French language feeds).

Turner has not directly replaced Rowe in its kids originals team. Patricia Hidalgo leads the division as senior VP and chief content and creative officer, EMEA, and Cecilia Persson was promoted to VP, acquisitions and coproductions, kids, EMEA and international in October.

Turner UK and Ireland’s general manager Anthony Lukom last year at the Children’s Media Conference told producers to “flood” Rowe with ideas, quipping: “He’s not busy enough.”