Plimsoll Productions Names Andrea Jackson As Creative Director Of Factual Entertainment

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The UK’s Plimsoll Productions has appointed formats and distribution veteran Andrea Jackson as Creative Director of Factual Entertainment.

This makes her Plimsoll’s lead for developing, packaging and executive producing formats and factual entertainment content, working alongside Head of Factual Entertainment Karen Plumb.

In her new role, Jackson will report to Plimsoll CEO Grant Mansfield and join the ITV Studios-owned company’s executive leadership group.

Plimsoll bought Jackson’s unscripted distribution business Magnify Media in 2020, five years after she established the company.

Magnify had continued to operate independently following the sale but is now set to “fully integrate” into the ITV Studios distribution operation. The distributor’s key titles include Fox’s Malika: The Lion Queen, BBC One’s My Unique B & B and ABC’s The Women of 9/11.

Jackson’s previous roles include eight years as Managing Director of DRG, which sold to MTG before its catalogue was sold on to All3Media. She also co-founded Zeal Entertainment

 “We’ve been great admirers of Andrea for years and have had the fortune to collaborate with her on many endeavors while she led the charge at Magnify Media,” said Grant Mansfield, CEO of Plimsoll Productions. “We’re eager to lean into her robust formats and distribution experience, her deep relationships, specifically within the UK and US markets, and her unparalleled knowledge of the global marketplace.”

Last year, Tiny World and Animal maker Plimsoll sold a majority stake to ITV Studios for more than $100M. The deal is considered by several market watchers to have kicked off more M&A interest in high-end factual producers and increased their value.

It currently has 20 shows in production, including The Ascent with Alex Honnold and Great Migrations for National Geographic/Disney+ and A Year on Planet Earth for Fox. Most recently, its James Cameron-executive produced and Benedict Cumberbatch-narrated Super/Natural launched on National Geographic/Disney+. Veteran production and development executive Alan Eyres was also named head of Plimsoll USA.

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