eOne adds to acquisitions team

Entertainment One (eOne) has added execs from Teletoon in Canada and from ITV Studios Global Entertainment in the UK to its acquisitions team.

The company has hired Jessica Watson as manager for acquisitions across all genres and former ITV executive Justina Hemperek as manager for factual acquisitions in the UK and Europe.

Watson will be responsible for acquiring TV product for distribution to all media outlets around the world. She joins eOne following a five-year stint at Astral, where she was most recently acquisitions specialist for its Teletoon joint venture.

Hemperek will be responsible for acquiring all factual programming from UK and Europe, arriving from ITVSGE, where was a factual acquisitions manager who brought in shows including Come Dine With Me, Four Weddings, The Audience River Monsters and Wild Things With Dominic Monaghan.

Watson takes up the post at eOne’s Toronto office, Hemperek in London. Both report to Prentiss Fraser, senior VP of worldwide sales and acquisitions.

“eOne is expanding our acquisition team to continue the growth of our catalogue,” said Fraser. “Justina and Jessica will play an integral role. They will focus on quality not quantity and will be actively looking for new brands for us embrace and build on a global level.”

eOne’s current scripted series include Hell on Wheels, Rookie Blue, Call Me Fitz, Saving Hope and upcoming drama Rogue. The firm also handles distribution of AMC’s The Walking Dead.

In factual and non-scripted it counts Mary Mary for WeTV, The Sheards for BET, Perfect Storms: Disasters that Changed the World for History Television and Historia, and Mega Builders for Discovery.