Fremantle Appoints New Director of Global Entertainment

Fremantle has appointed Andrew Llinares as director of global entertainment, taking over from Rob Clark.

Llinares will assume overall responsibility for Fremantle’s global entertainment production, development and acquisitions teams, effective immediately.

Llinares has a long history with Fremantle, as he was previously head of Thames/Syco co-productions in the U.K. and was the original showrunner on The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent when they first launched in the U.K. in 2004 and 2007, respectively.

Since 2011, while living and working in the U.S., Llinares was also an executive producer and showrunner for the U.S. version of The X Factor before becoming executive producer and showrunner on Dancing with the Stars in 2018.

Llinares is based in London and reports to Group CEO Jennifer Mullin.

Clark retires at the end of February after 20 years with the company.

Mullin said: “I am thrilled that Andrew has agreed to take on this hugely important role within Fremantle. Our global entertainment business has been, and always will be, crucial to our success. Andrew is a seasoned producer and a creative executive that has been within our family for many years; he knows our business, our formats and most importantly, our people. Rob Clark has been instrumental in designing our global entertainment division, and I believe Andrew is well poised to build on that, ensuring that creative and production excellence remain at the heart of our company.”

Llinares added: “I am so excited to be taking on this role at Fremantle; it feels like coming home to me. Not only am I returning to the U.K., but I am also coming back to a company that has felt like home for a long, long time. I am honored to be taking over from Rob Clark, someone I have loved working with and greatly admire. I cannot wait to get started and work with Jen and the brilliant team at Fremantle.”