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Shake-up at Australia’s WTFN sees Wes Crook upped to CEO, Karen Goodwin to COO

Wes Crook and Karen Goodwin

Australian distributor and producer WTFN has restructured its executive team, with company co-founder and CEO Daryl Talbot becoming executive director and chief operating officer Wes Crook promoted to the top role.

The shake-up also saw the promotion of 10-year WTFN veteran Karen Goodwin to COO, while she will retain her current positions as general counsel and company secretary.

Goodwin joined WTFN in 2014 having previously served as a media, entertainment and intellectual property lawyer.

Crook joined WTFN after a career as a television reporter and later chief of staff at Seven Network’s Melbourne newsroom. He was named general manager at WTFN in 2015 before becoming COO in 2021.

It is understood the restructure will allow Talbot, who will continue to play a role in the group’s strategic direction, to focus on international and cross-platform expansion strategies.

Goodwin said that under the stewardship of co-founders Talbot and Steve Oemcke, over the past two decades, WTFN has been on a growth trajectory from a local TV producer to an independent studio with a global imprint.

Last September, the company underwent a significant reorganisation, integrating its distribution arm, Fred Media, with its digital and largely UK-based offshoot, Radar.

Goodwin said the company remains Australia’s largest independent TV distributor with a catalogue of WTFN and third-party programmes totalling over 2,200 hours of content.

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