Tinopolis Group hires trio of creative directors at Firecracker, Mentorn, Tinopolis Scotland
Left to right: Tammy Hoyle, Yonni Usiskin and Gill Brown
The Tinopolis Group has appointed three new creative directors across its UK labels, with Tammy Hoyle, Yonni Usiskin and Gill Brown joining Firecracker, Mentorn and Tinopolis Scotland, respectively.
The appointments have been made by Hannah Wyatt, CEO of Tinopolis Unscripted UK, who has had oversight of all three labels since joining the company last year.
Firecracker will focus on factual entertainment, reality and talent-led documentaries; Mentorn will continue to produce premium factual, documentary and true crime programming; and Tinopolis Scotland will remain a Glasgow-based production hub for content across the UK.
Each of the new creative directors will work across development strategy, creative pipelines and editorial direction within their respective labels, while collaborating across the wider Tinopolis network.
They will work alongside the current senior team across Mentorn and Firecracker including Cara Cummings, director of development, Tinopolis Unscripted; Tayte Simpson, director of programmes, Mentorn; and Nicolai Gentchev, director of current affairs, Mentorn.
Hoyle joins Firecracker from Nutopia, where she led a strategic push into factual entertainment and previously spent five years at BBC Studios overseeing UK development and US and streamer strategy.
Her credits include Big Brother, I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here!, Hell’s Kitchen, Ultimate Wedding Planners and Greggs: More Than Meats The Pie.
Usiskin joins Mentorn from Brinkworth, where as head of content he built a slate focused on premium true crime IP for the UK and US, following senior development roles at BBC Studios and eight years at Vice.
His credits include MH370: The Lost Plane, The Murder of Charlene Downes and The Satanic Verses: 30 Years On.
Brown will work across both Mentorn and Firecracker with an emphasis on Tinopolis’ long-term investment in premium content made in Scotland.
Formerly a commissioning editor at Channel 4, she oversaw major long-running series including Junior Bake Off, Location Location Location and George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces and has recently executive produced Narrow Escapes, Two Men on a Bike and Sailing the Shipping Forecast.
Wyatt, who joined the company after exiting BBC Studios, said: “These hires are about scale, clarity and ambition. We are investing in senior creative leaders who understand the commissioning landscape, think globally, and know how to build distinctive slates.
“Tammy, Yonni and Gill each bring their own unique creative lens and together strengthen our existing team and our ability to deliver premium unscripted content while giving each production company a clear, differentiated editorial and commercial identity.”
