David joined Beyond Rights as CEO in December 2021. Previous to this he was founder and CEO of YouLook.tv, the UK’s first multi-channel AVOD service. Before that he worked for lengthy periods at both Twentieth Century Fox where, latterly as SVP and managing director, he initiated the ground-breaking BBC/FX deal, and at Sky 1, where he was head of acquisitions. He has also worked at both the BBC and ITV.
James is a multi-jurisdictional lawyer with extensive and broad commercial contracting experience. He started his career in one of Ireland’s leading commercial law firms, Arthur Cox, where he advised clients across various industries including media, technology, infrastructure, energy and corporate structuring. During his time here, James was seconded to Screen Ireland and got a taste for film and documentary financing and production. He subsequently moved to Australia, where he worked at one of the country’s leading law firms, Minter Ellison. Upon returning to Dublin in 2016, he joined Maples and Calder, with a particular focus on mergers and acquisitions and advising technology companies, but he left the world of law firms in 2018 to join Beyond’s legal and business affairs team.
Favourite TV show: The Wire
The TV show I wish I had created: The Simpsons
Sarah joins Beyond from Tin Roof Media, where she was responsible for the distribution operations of Blink Films and Outline Productions, which included helping to secure deficit funding for unscripted content. Prior to that, she spent more than 15 years at Hat Trick International, selling scripted, factual and formats to a variety of territories including Scandinavia, France, the US and Canada, as well as to global SVoD platforms.
Sean has more than 20 years’ experience in the TV distribution industry, working both in agency and in-house across various marketing and PR disciplines. He started his career at London PR agency Paragon Communications, then moved to Jackie Cooper PR before working at specialist TV consultancy Franklin Rae. He then moved in-house and joined Parthenon Entertainment as director of PR and marketing, before leading the marketing and PR efforts at Sky Vision - then the distribution arm of the UK broadcaster, now merged into NBC Universal. Sean has worked on a wide range of major programme launches at international trade markets, including Sky drama series The Last Panthers and documentary series Escobar Exposed, distributed by Beyond Rights.
Favourite TV show: The Prisoner
The TV show I wish I had created: X Factor
Sherry started her career at CBC International sales in London and subsequently held positions at Alliance Atlantis, Gullane, and Cinar. In 2003 she was hired at Beyond’s New York office, spearheading the company’s US operations. This role has since been relocated to Australia and now, from her Sydney base, Sherry is responsible for financing, pre-sales and placing Beyond’s shows on streamers and networks across North America. She is a big fan of true crime and in 2020, executive produced Drug Lords: The Next Generation which aired on National Geographic US. The exposé in episode six, ‘Hunting the Ghost”, won the best investigative journalism award in Colombia for 2020.
Favourite TV Show: Don’t Fu&% with Cats
The TV show I wish I had created: Dirty Money - and anything from Alex Gibney
Jo began her career at Southern Star in the features’ division, launching Australian independent films such as The Well and Head On to the international market and supporting them in competition at leading festivals. She then moved over to Southern Star’s TV division, where she sold iconic Australian series such as Home & Away, The Secret Life of Us, Packed to Rafters and The Block to broadcasters around the globe. Jo loves the energy of working in independent distribution and has been with Beyond since 2009, representing such high profile shows such as Love It or List It, MythBusters, Deadly Women and Backyard Science to the entire Asia Pacific region.
Favourite TV Show: Bridgerton
The TV show I wish I had created: Game of Thrones
Joanna Rowley is a hugely experienced television sales executive who has been freelancing as a sales consultant for the past two years. Her most recent long-term role was as executive director at Fox Networks Group Content Distribution, prior to its acquisition by Disney. Before that, she spent many years as a regional sales director for National Geographic Television International, as well as for its previous incarnation, Explore International.
Lenneke de Jong
SVP, Sales for Benelux, Germany, Latin America & Iberia
SVP, Sales for Benelux, Germany, Latin America & Iberia
Lenneke has experience across TV production and distribution, having started her TV career as a runner on the production of “Factor X” in Spain. Within distribution, she has worked at Endemol Worldwide Distribution, DCD Rights and TCB Media Rights, looking after a vast range of genres - from music to factual entertainment - and territories spanning from Australia & New Zealand to Eastern Europe. Currently for Beyond Rights, she is VP of Sales for Germany, Benelux, Latin America & Iberia.
Favourite TV show: Succession
The TV show I wish I had created: Married at First Sight
Tara joins Beyond from BBC Studios, where she has spent the past six years licensing unscripted, scripted and kids’ content to multiple territories.
Prior to that, she worked for formats business Small World IFT, part of Content Media and spent four years as VP of sales selling scripted, factual and formats to Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Germany, Middle East and Africa at Zodiak Rights. She has also held roles at other distributors including DRG and Handmade Films International. Favourite TV Show: Handmaide’s Tale. The TV show I wish I had created: Big Brother
Sarah’s first brush with TV came when she was living and working in Japan and was attacked by a woman dressed as a giant Christmas tree on a Japanese game show… and she never looked back. After working with Toyota, she returned to the UK and began her TV sales career, selling BBC blue-chip natural history shows and other specialist factual titles such as Coast and James May’s 20th Century for a BBC/Open University partnership. Rising to become head of digital media, Sarah was responsible for the commercial media division. In 2013 she joined Flame Distribution as SVP sales and acquisitions for North America, working with smaller production companies that required creative financing. Sarah joined Beyond in 2017 and, as well as continuing to acquire and co-produce factual content, she’s developed extensive expertise in the children’s television industry.
Favourite TV show: First Dates
The TV show I wish I had created: The Nazis: A Warning from History.
Steve works alongside the sales and acquisitions teams to develop and create original, returnable popular factual series and formats that meet demand in the market and can be pitched to international broadcasters for pre-sale, co-production and commission. He also works alongside CEO David Smyth on the company’s original content strategy for FAST channels. During his career as a channel commissioner, development executive and creative co-founder of an independent production company he has commissioned, developed and executive produced projects including Extreme Makeover UK, Sky One’s Don’t Forget the Lyrics! and Gladiators reboot, international sales hit MegaTruckers, Say Yes to the Dress, Killing Michael Jackson, Faking It: Tears of a Crime, Born Mucky: Life On The Farm and The Curse of the Highgate Vampire for Discovery and The Lancaster at 80 and Married to a Psychopath for Channel 4. Favourite TV show: (currently) Welcome To Wrexham. The TV show I wish I had created: Love On The Spectrum.
Nicola is responsible for identifying and securing great content for Beyond to distribute internationally. As such, she works closely with producers at every stage of the development process. She works across all of Beyond’s acquisition and pre-sale projects and strategies and is also charged with building the company’s network of independent production partners and its broadcast relationships. Before working at Beyond, Nicola was acquisitions and co-productions executive at TCB Media Rights and, prior to that, she worked at UK indie Zig Zag Productions. Initially working across the company’s diverse production slate, she soon stepped up to manage Zig Zag’s IP on a global scale, taking responsibility for all activity surrounding international opportunities and co-production relationships.
Favourite TV Show: Schitt’s Creek
The TV show I wish I had created: Married at First Sight
Claire’s years in the TV industry have given her an experience in production, broadcast and distribution. She’s not quite a jack of all trades, but certainly someone who can see a point of view from all sides! Starting her career at factual TV producer Dragonfly Film & TV (One Born Every Minute; The Plane Crash), Claire later moved on to sample network life by joining the commissioning team at National Geographic Channels as a co-ordinator, and finally took the decision to step into distribution when she joined TCB Media Rights. Now with Beyond Rights, Claire is responsible for working closely with a raft of wonderful factual producers based in the UK & Europe in order to garner programming for international distribution. Accomplished in tailor making deals to suit the needs of any production, her involvement can be instrumental from as early on as programme development. Whether there’s requirement for pre-selling, co-development, deficit financing, minimum guarantee and/or advance, and where there is opportunity for briefs and introductions to tighten the gap between international broadcasters and producers, she works to find the most effective model. Favourite TV show: Made in Chelsea; TV show I wish I had created: The Apprentice
Jane is a seasoned EA and joined Beyond at the end of 2009. Today she provides support to the sales team. She began her career as a PA at Bing Technology, where she oversaw all the administrative functions in the office and provided sales support to the business development team and national sales manager. Jane has completed a bachelor’s degree in commerce and is fluent in Cantonese with a good understanding of Mandarin Chinese.
Favourite TV show: Mindhunter
The TV show I wish I had created: Breaking Bad
Hannah graduated Bournemouth University in 2017 with a first class degree in scriptwriting for film & TV. Prior to joining Beyond in 2019, she worked as receptionist and office runner at talent management and television production company Avalon.
Favourite TV show: The Office US (controversial, I know)
The TV show I wish I had created: Friends
Sylvia works alongside the sales team providing support for the sales team in the UK office.
She started out her distribution career as a sales coordinator at Endemol Shine and carried on with her role throughout the Banijay/ Endemol merger. Sylvia has a degree in Creative Arts and regards herself as a habitual film fanatic with expert recommendations for Nollywood films.
Favourite TV Show: The Marvellous Mrs Maisel
TV Show I wish I had created: Big Brother
Contact
London
Level 3, 167-169 Wardour Street,
London W1F 8WP, United Kingdom