Ex-ITVS formats boss joins BBC Worldwide

Former ITV Studios and Fox Look sales executive Jennifer Harrington has joined BBC Worldwide’s factual acquisitions team, TBI has learned.

Harrington has joined the UK pubcaster’s commercial arm to cover head of factual entertainment and lifestyle Andrea Olsson, who is now on maternity leave.

Assuming the same role, Harrington will report into BBCWW’s director of factual content and production Mark Reynolds.

She has held roles such as ITVS Global Entertainment head of format sales and acquisitions and director of sales, UK and Northern Europe, at the short-lived formats distributor Fox Look, which shuttered after parent News Corp acquired Shine Group and its distribution arm, Shine International.

After leaving Fox Look, she went on to join Shine International as maternity cover for senior sales manager Lisette Schlippe, EMEA, and earlier this year joined media advisory Grand Scheme. She also had a previous spell at 20th Century Fox.

In her new role, Harrington will oversee BBCWW’s factual entertainment slate and strategy and acquire content for the company’s sales team. She will work with indies and the BBC’s in-house production teams to develop programming commercially for the international market.

The move comes more than a year and a half after BBCWW rejigged its acquisitions set up – a move that handed Reynolds and Jo Sermon control of the factual team.