Blue Ant Studios’ global head of acquisitions Lilla Hurst steps down after three years

Media veteran Lilla Hurst is departing Blue Ant Studios after three years as the Canadian firm’s global head of acquisitions and content strategy.

Lilla Hurst

According to Deadline, which broke the news this morning, Hurst will exit her role at the end of the year and take a sabbatical in 2026.

Hurst has been with Blue Ant since 2022 when it acquired her Drive Media Rights distributor and coproduction facilitator.Drive co-founder Ben Barrett is remaining with Blue Ant as global head of content financing and partnerships.

Hurst and Barrett launched Drive in 2013. Prior to this she worked at TVF International, RDF Television and Channel 5 before launching her own vehicle Lillavision.

Hurst, who will oversee a handover at Blue Ant and is attending Mipcom with the company, told staff in a memo: “I’ve loved working at Blue Ant and am departing in what is going to be a very exciting era for the company as it goes public and looks to consolidate its position in the TV universe even further.

“I’ll also be leaving behind my wonderful team in Toronto, who I have no doubt will continue to do great work and are in a great place to support my replacement when they arrive.”

Her exit comes shortly after Blue Ant’s reverse takeover of Boat Rocker Media and the subsequent management buyout of Boat Rocker Studios.