Blue Ant Hires Dervla Kelly, Surani Adamesco As CMO, CTO

Blue Ant Makes Senior Hires

Canada’s Blue Ant has appointed a Chief Marketing and Communications Officer and Chief Technology Officer following the completion of its reverse takeover of Boat Rocker Media and public listing. Dervla Kelly takes on the former role and Surani Adamesco the latter. Kelly will lead the Canada’s Drag Race studio’s corporate, consumer, and trade marketing strategy. Adamesco will lead Blue Ant’s IT, Media Services, and Channel Playout teams. Both executives will join the management team and serve as Officers of Blue Ant. “Now as a public company, we’re embarking on an ambitious growth strategy to strengthen our position as an international streamer, production studio, and rights-management leader,” said Jamie Schouela, Chief Operating Officer. “Dervla and Surani bring exceptional expertise and strategic vision in their respective areas. Their leadership will be key as we scale operations, drive innovation, and deliver long-term value for our shareholders.” The company’s reverse takeover completed last month. Yesterday, we revealed global acquisitions boss Lilla Hurst was exiting after three years.

ITV Studios Launches Entertainment Label

ITV Studios has launched an entertainment formats label under ITV commissioner Lily Wilson and Talkback Thames creatives chief Tom Williams. The as-yet-unnamed label will open for business in January 2026. It will become the home of the team at The Chase producer Potato along with taking on the recently-shuttered 12 Yard’s portfolio including Channel 5 quiz Puzzling. Potato creative directors Martin Scott and Phil Mount, along with head of production Christina Clayton, will join the new label. Wilson is an ITV entertainment commissioner who has worked on the likes of Britain’s Got Talent and The Voice. At Fremantle-backed Talkback, Williams was Creative Director, behind the likes of Netflix’s Battle Camp and E4’s The Big Celebrity Detox. ITV Studios UK unscripted boss Tim Carter said: “Lily has been synonymous with the biggest shows on television and intimately understands what it takes to create excellence. Tom is one of the most exciting originators in the industry. Together they are unstoppable, and with the heft and popularity of Potato’s shows and 12 Yard’s IP behind them, they promise to create a new force in entertainment.”

Airport Drama Takes Off Australia’s SBS

Australia’s SBS has ordered The Chaplain, an eight-part drama series set in a bustling international airport. The series comes from Wooden Horse, the production company behind Mother and Son, Stuff the British Stole and The Clearing. Elise McCredie, SarahBassiuoni(Critical Incident), MithilaGupta(Four Years Later) and ThomasWeatherall(Heartbreak High) have written the series, which McCredie co-created with Wooden Horse co-founder Jude Troy. The Chaplain will follow airport chaplain Tobias Wallace, who uses decidedly unorthodox methods to solve daily crises. His story is inspired by a real-life encounter with Melbourne International Airport’s chaplain, Martin, Scrimshaw, when Troy left her handbag with her laptop and phone in the back of an Uber, and was subsequently introduced to Scrimshaw. “Over the next few hours, he took me on an eye-opening adventure deep into the bowels of the airport, sharing stories of humanity and connection that have stayed with me ever since,” said Troy. Production will begin later this year in Victoria with casting to follow. Major production investment came from Screen Australia. The series is one of several highlights of SBS’s 2025/26 upfront, which was unveiled to advertisers earlier today and also includes a co-commission with NITV, Reckless, which is billed as First Nations drama from writer and executive producer Kodie Bedford, starring Tasma Walton and Hunter Page-Lochard as two feuding siblings whose lives spiral wildly out of control after covering up a deadly hit
and run.

NATPE Budapest Moves To April

Here’s another change to the TV conference calendar. NATPE Budapest will next year move from its traditional June date to April 27-29. It will remain at the InterContinental Hotel in the Hungarian capital, with sessions also held at the nearby Dorothea Hotel. NATPE owner Brunico Communications put the date change down to an “increasingly crowded June window.” Claire Macdonald, Executive Director of NATPE, said: “We listened and we’re acting. After an outstanding 2025 edition, it became clear that moving NATPE Budapest to April gives buyers and partners a valuable head start. Buyers are the heartbeat of any sales market, and NATPE Budapest is where real dealmaking happens – not just conversation.” Final details on studio screenings are still to be confirmed.