Fremantle has named Ben Crompton its new global head of entertainment.
Crompton joins Fremantle from NBCUniversal, where he was vp of international unscripted programming. Previous to that, he led the U.S. operations, as executive vp U.S., of Lime Pictures, the British production group behind such shows as Netflix’s Dance Monsters, MTV’s True Lies and ABC’s Who Do You Believe? He has also held senior creative and strategic roles at Warner Brothers in Australia, and Eyeworks and ITV Studios in the U.K.
Crompton will take up the new role later this month, reporting directly to Fremantle Global CEO Jennifer Mullin.
“It is a great honour for me to be joining Fremantle and to work with Jennifer and such a brilliant team,” Crompton said in a statement. “I have long admired Fremantle – a company known for creativity, innovation, and groundbreaking formats. I can’t wait to get started and collaborate with the exceptional talent across the Fremantle business.”
Crompton replaces Andrew Llinares, who stepped down last month after three years in the post.
“We are thrilled to welcome Ben to Fremantle,” said Mullin in a statement. “He is a business-minded leader with a deep understanding of the industry, not only from a development and production perspective, but also from a commercial and strategic viewpoint. I look forward to working closely with Ben and our hugely talented team at this extremely exciting time for our business – as we build on our successes and continue to push the creative boundaries together.”
The move follows a couple of key hires for Fremantle’s TV business last month, which saw the company add Jhamal Robinson as the new head of U.S. productions, both scripted and unscripted, and Emily Knight named the company’s senior vp of unscripted development. In a further shuffle in January, Christian Vesper stepped down as Fremantle’s CEO of Global Drama and Film after a decade in the job.
Fremantle, which is controlled by German broadcaster RTL Group, is one of the world’s leading independent production companies, with a portfolio of global formats including Masked Singer, The X Factor, and Got Talent. According to its own figures, the company last year delivered 345 commissions and 302 productions across 62 territories.
