‘Stuff The British Stole’ Firm WildBear Entertainment Rejigs Top Team
EXCLUSIVE: Australian factual producer WildBear Entertainment has unveiled a new look for its management team amid “the biggest transformation we’ve seen in decades” for the entertainment industry.
A eight-strong team will lead activities the company, which is known for the likes of Stuff the British Stole, Rise of the Dictators and Every Little Thing.
WildBear co-founder Michael Tear will remain CEO, and under him will be join co-founder Serge Ou, who becomes Head of Creative Services, leading on production, post-production, design and visual effects. Alan Erson takes on a newly created role as Managing Director of Premium Television, and will oversee the WildBear factual slate and creative strategy.
Exec producer Craig Meade is upped to Head of International TV and Harriet Pike segues from COO to Chief Strategy and Growth Officer, which WildBear is calling a “pivotal new role.” Pike will oversee international activities and expand her to include digital and post services, catalog and rights and commercial opportunities.
Both Meade and Pike will work with distributor Wild Thring Media on new commissioning opportunities, co-productions and global potential of WildBear’s content.
Rounding out the new-look top team are Caroline Nicols, who is Chief Financial Officer, Matt Nightingale, who becomes Head of Production and Miranda Kelly, who is Head of Production Finance.
WildBear is one of Australia’s oldest factual-focused producers, having started life more than four decades ago. The company now has around 100 staff across Australia and New Zealand, and it currently produces around 150 hours a year.
“Our industry is undergoing the biggest transformation we’ve seen in decades and while WildBear has always quietly weathered every change, the time felt right to really get ahead of things, analyse all the forces at work and decide how we best want to meet the challenges ahead to steer our own future,” said Tear.
“The new leadership structure brings together some of the strongest creative and commercial talent in Australia and sends a clear message to the market about our abilities and intentions. It gives us the focus to continue producing bold, world-class factual content at scale – telling ambitious true stories for a range of audiences – while expanding internationally, building new partnerships and creating greater long-term cross-platform value from our intellectual property, rights and creative services.”
