New MD for Children’s at BBC Worldwide

LONDON, August 1: Former
Sparrowhawk Media executive Neil Ross Russell is taking over from Gill Pritchard as the new managing director for children’s at BBC Worldwide,
effective August 11.

Russell will be
responsible for the cross-media, international exploitation across BBC
Worldwide’s portfolio of children’s brands, ranging from preschool to early
teens. With a background in strategy and business development, Russell most
recently served as the business development director for Sparrowhawk Media
Group—last year sold to NBC Universal—where he created KidsCo, a
joint venture with DIC Entertainment and Nelvana.

Peter Phippen, the
managing director of BBC Magazines and to whom Russell will report, said:
“Neil’s experience in working with major providers of children’s TV
entertainment from across the globe, plus his proven ability to develop
creative and profitable new business models, makes him the perfect appointment
for us. I am delighted to welcome him to BBC Worldwide where he will be able to
make the most of our extensive portfolio of brands and properties.”

Russell added: “This is an
incredibly exciting time to be joining the children’s business as we extend
global and cross-platform opportunities for BBC brands. It’s also a real
privilege to be working on some of the most important brands in children’s
television today—and to have the opportunity to realize their potential
in a rapidly evolving children’s media environment. I’ll be working to maintain
and improve upon the strategic alliance we have with our public service
colleagues at CBeebies and CBBC, to strengthen our existing relationship with
top class indies and JV partners such as Ragdoll, Penguin and Tiger Aspect, and
strengthening our position as the distributor of choice whilst maximizing the
value of the rights owned by the indie community.”

—By Jackie Stewart