WildBear hires Erson from Essential

Australian factual producer and distributor WildBear Entertainment has recruited veteran exec Alan Erson as its managing director.

Erson had been running the Australian division of prodco Essential Media before starting, this week, in the newly-created role out of WildBear’s Sydney office.

Prior to Essential, he was head of docs and factual at Australian pubcaster the ABC and before that was a producer, making factual programmes for a raft of local and international broadcasters.

WildBear is the business created following the merger of Australian prodcos WildFury and Bearcage and also own the Content Mint footage library (fka Absolutely Wild Visuals). It is keen to drive international copros from its Southern Hemisphere base and Erson will work across local and international projects.

“I welcome the breadth of Alan’s experience and his successful track record,” said WildBear CEO Michael Tear. “Alan has a strong background in science, history and natural history content for global audiences, which is a specialty of WildBear. He’s also a respected and dynamic force in the Australian domestic market.”

The new recruit said: “I look forward to collaborating with the WildBear team. It’s a clever, flexible content company well placed to succeed in these fast changing times,” says Erson.

His exit from Essential follows that of Michael O’Neill, who left to join the ABC earlier this year. Essential underwent a restructure last year.