Studio Lambert Bolsters Unscripted Team

Studio Lambert has made a trio of senior hires for its unscripted creative team.

Toni Ireland and Stephen Yemoh have been appointed to staff executive producer roles, reporting to Tim Harcourt, Studio Lambert’s creative director. Jenny Spearing, meanwhile, has been tapped to be the company’s new head of legal and business affairs for unscripted. She will report to Zoe Chatten, commercial director.

Both Ireland and Yemoh have worked in a senior role on Studio Lambert’s returning Channel 4 reality series The Circle, with Ireland executive producing the U.S. version of the format for Netflix, as well as for the U.K. version since season one. Ireland began her career at Celador before moving to Channel 4’s Big Brother and went into live productions working on Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway for ITV and Big Brother’s Bit On The Side before becoming executive producer on I’m A Celebrity: Extra Camp. Yemoh began his career at Sky Sports on Soccer AM before moving to Endemol.

Spearing joins Studio Lambert from Abbas Media Law, where she worked as head of TV business affairs for five years. Prior to this, Spearing worked in BBC independent drama business affairs, before moving to Tiger Aspect.

Spearing and Ireland take up their roles with immediate effect, with Yemoh due to join the company in mid-February.

Studio Lambert CEO Stephen Lambert said: “I am delighted three of the best people in their area of expertise have joined us. Toni and Stephen are two of the up-and-coming, off-screen stars of unscripted television, and Tim and I look forward to them making a difference to the development and production of more big, noisy Studio Lambert shows. And Jenny will provide terrific support to Zoe as we grow the commercial, legal and business side of our business.”

Harcourt added: “I have been in awe of the expertise, energy and creative flair of Toni and Stephen in helping establish The Circle as a Channel 4 and Netflix hit. We are thrilled to have them join the company and bring their brilliance to everything we do.”