ITV Studios ups Clarke to key content post

ITV Studios Global Entertainment has promoted Ruth Clarke to a new role focusing on content strategy and investment, TBI has learned.

Clarke (pictured) joined ITVSGE from Shine Group’s international arm in 2012 as director of acquisitions and coproductions, and rose through the ranks to become executive VP.

She has now been named EVP, content strategy and investment. She will continue to report into Maria Kyriacou, managing director of ITVSGE and ROW (Rest of World).

The new post will see her managing content strategy and investment in programming for ITVSGE globally, covering both scripted and unscripted content and marketing.

ITV Studios’ marketing team will also now have a reporting line into Clarke, more closely aligning the acquisitions and marketing departments.

“This promotion reflects the great job that Ruth and her team have done over the last three years in building ITVSGE’s relationships with an ever wider group of creative partners, and strengthening ITVSGE’s content portfolio,” said Kyriacou.

Prior to Shine International, where she was SVP and head of EMEA, Clarke was head of branded services for digital media distribution, EMEA, at The Walt Disney Company.

The news comes as ITVSGE parent broadcaster ITV commissions a new series featuring illusionist Derren Brown, whose Vaudeville Productions will coproduce The Next Great Magician with new ITVS label Crook Productions.

The 6x60mins competition format will see top conjurers performing tricks in bids to win their own ITV special. Five will perform in each episode, before judging each others’ tricks and winner moves on to the final.

The show marks a first commission for Crook since the inception of its parent group, Cats on the Roof Media, which was established with ITV earlier this year.

Andrew O’Connor, Brown and Matt Crook will executive produce the show, which ITV director of entertainment and comedy Elaine Bedell and commissioning editor, entertainment Peter Davey commissioned.