WildBear Entertainment unveils eight-strong leadership team

WildBear Entertainment has unveiled a new eight-person management team to run its factual business in Australia and New Zealand. Co-founder Michael Tear remains chief executive. The company set out the line-up on 21 September, as reported by Deadline. Tear stays at the top.

Co-founder Serge Ou becomes Head of Creative Services. He will lead production, post-production, design and visual effects. That puts the practical making of shows, from shoot to final picture and graphics, under one leader.

Alan Erson takes the newly created role of Managing Director of Premium Television. He will oversee the factual slate, meaning the company's roster of documentaries and other non-fiction shows, and guide creative strategy. The role did not exist before.

Craig Meade has been promoted to Head of International TV. Harriet Pike moves from chief operating officer to Chief Strategy and Growth Officer. The rest of the senior team is Chief Financial Officer Caroline Nicols, Head of Production Matt Nightingale and Head of Production Finance Miranda Kelly.

Between them they cover money, schedules and day-to-day delivery. Those are the jobs that decide whether a series finishes on time and on budget. The structure brings creative, operational and financial leadership into one published list.

Meade and Pike will work closely with distributor Wild Thring Media. A distributor sells programmes to broadcasters and platforms around the world. Their brief covers commissioning opportunities, meaning chances to get new shows ordered, co-productions, meaning shows funded by partners in more than one country, and global exploitation of WildBear content.

For people watching at home, little changes on screen right away. Leadership teams choose what to develop, what to pitch and how to staff a production. A clear list of leaders tells crews and partners who makes those calls.

WildBear employs around 100 staff across Australia and New Zealand. It produces around 150 hours of television a year. That output comes from a specialist factual producer working across both countries.

The company started more than four decades ago. It is one of Australia's oldest factual-focused producers. Its credits include Stuff the British Stole, Rise of the Dictators and Every Little Thing, according to Deadline.