Yes Yes Media Adds to Executive Team

Yes Yes Media has hired BAFTA-winning executive producer and showrunner Mark Sidaway as head of entertainment and Lydia Arding as director of production.

Sidaway will build out the entertainment department, using his experience to deliver large-scale entertainment formats and live programming. Arding will oversee all financial and operational activity for the business and drive strategy across the whole production slate.

Sidaway’s extensive experience includes serving as the creative lead and executive producer on The Coronation Concert, as well as leading the creative team in devising and producing The Platinum Party at the Palace, a two-and-a-half-hour live concert to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. The concert won the BAFTA for best live event and TV moment of the year for Paddington and the Queen.

Prior to that, Sidaway won the BAFTA for best live event for launching Prince William’s Earthshot Prize. He has also produced prime-time entertainment shows for multiple networks in the U.K. and the U.S., including The Global Citizen Prize, hosted by John Legend for NBC. He was also the showrunner for ten seasons of The X Factor.

Arding joins from Hidden Light Productions—the Hillary Rodham Clinton- and Chelsea Clinton-backed indie—where she was head of production. Before that, she was head of factual production at Avalon Entertainment and managed all output across TV and audio for its slate. She also oversaw multiple series commissions for Sky, BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and UKTV.

“Mark is a huge talent and has vast experience across the entertainment world—specifically large-scale productions and talent shows—which are a big area for us,” said Richard Bacon, founder of Yes Yes Media. “I am delighted to work so closely with him across our many projects. Equally, Lydia brings a great mix of production experience and strategic thinking to our television and tech ideas.”