Aardman hires NBCU, Warner Bros. alum to lead AVOD & FAST growth strategy

Interstellar Ella

Animation studio Aardman is bolstering its ad-supported operations by hiring former NBCUniversal and Warner Bros. exec Laura Taylor-Williams to a new role leading its digital strategy.

Taylor-Williams becomes head of digital & strategic development at Happy The Hoglet and Interstellar Ella outfit Aardman, with a remit to act as the company’s key sales liaison with partners across AVOD, FAST and EST.

She will lead the strategic direction of digital monetisation and reports into Aardman’s director of distribution, Alison Taylor, while working closely with the studio’s head of acquisitions, Robin Gladman.

The digital push will also see Gladman acquiring more content that supports the strategy, whilst Taylor-Williams will oversee returns for third-party rights holders.

Taylor-Williams was most recently in an interim role at Aardman, where she was senior sales manager for VOD deals in Northern Europe and Canada. Prior to that, she worked at NBCUniversal and Warner Bros.

Taylor said: “Laura brings a wealth of knowledge to this role and a real drive to deliver Aardman’s globally loved, playful content to a range of new platform audiences.

“It’s hugely exciting to be growing our team in this way, especially following such a period of success and recognition from across the industry. Working in partnership with our brilliantly connected head of acquisitions, Robin Gladman, I am sure Laura will do big things at Aardman – to the benefit of all our brands and third-party partners.”

Taylor-Williams added: “Aardman is perfectly positioned to deliver a rich experience for audiences through AVOD and FAST partners, with our access to value-added and behind-the-scenes content alongside our much-loved, award-winning slate.

|”Working with our third-party independent producers to acquire and produce even more content right for digital is also a cornerstone of our strategy – ensuring that our pipeline of content is consistent, original and aligns with Aardman’s emphasis on quality, curiosity and playfulness. We are primed to take Aardman into this next phase of ambitious growth.”