Australian documentary outfit WildBear Entertainment has appointed a new leadership team under co-founder and CEO Michael Tear, along with implementing a new strategy to accelerate international growth and diversify revenue.
Serge Ou, joint co-founder, becomes head of creative services, overseeing production, post-production, design and visual effects. Alan Erson, producer and former head of documentary and factual at ABC, becomes MD and head of premium television. Craig Meade, EP, has been upped to head of international TV. Harriet Pike becomes chief strategy and growth officer, overseeing international activities as well as digital and post services, catalog and rights, and commercial growth. Meade and Pike will collaborate with WildBear’s long-term international partner, Wild Thring Media, on new commissioning opportunities, co-production relationships and maximizing the global commercial potential of the WildBear slate. The senior team is rounded out by CFO Caroline Nicols; Matt Nightingale, head of production; and Miranda Kelly, head of production finance.
The company has also reorganized its creative services arm into three divisions: post-production, design & VFX, and content experiences.
“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, analyze all the forces at work, and decide how we best want to meet the challenges ahead to steer our own future,” Tear said. “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.”
Tear continued, “The appetite for distinctive, high-quality stories has never been greater, and we are now well placed to take full advantage—from ‘developing on demand’ to thinking creatively around funding—to ensure all our partners get what they need. As we now look forward, we are more fired up than ever to deliver diverse projects that are creatively ambitious, emotionally engaging and unmistakably WildBear.”
