Blue Ant Studios, an international production studio and rights business, announced that Diane Rankin’s role has been elevated to EVP, Content Development & Commercial Strategy. She will now be responsible for development strategy across Blue Ant Studios with a focus on creating and financing multi-genre unscripted and scripted originals.
Her role also includes establishing strategic pathways across the Studios’ development and distribution business units to inform the slate’s creative and commercial opportunities, all aimed at supporting and accelerating the company's ambitious growth. To support the collective commercial strategy, Diane will also oversee marketing and initiatives to build brand awareness for the studio’s original production slate. Blue Ant Studios’ existing development and marketing teams will now report to Diane. She will continue to operate from the Blue Ant Studios’ London, UK office, reporting to Co-Presidents, Matthew Hornburg and Mark Bishop.
Matthew Hornburg, Co-President, Blue Ant Studios described the executive's profile: “Diane has a rare mix of creative and commercial vision, coupled with an extensive international network and deep respect from her colleagues and industry peers. Her new focus at the studio will amplify the team’s efforts in developing world-class content for the market, and that we continue to develop relationships with the best possible partners,” commented.
Diane joined Blue Ant Media in August 2023 after the company acquired marblemedia, where she served as EVP International & Executive Producer leading the company’s content commercialization strategy, which involved establishing partnerships, pre-sales and coproduction opportunities for its unscripted, scripted and kids and family categories. Diane also spearheaded the growth of marblemedia’s distribution efforts via its international sales operation, Distribution360, and served as an Executive Producer on a number of studio projects. In previous roles, Diane was SVP, Acquisitions at DRG and Head of Acquisitions at Cineflix Rights; and spent over 13 years at Brunico Communications launching and steering many of their market-leading events including Realscreen Summit and Kidscreen Summit, and overseeing leading print titles such as Realscreen, Kidscreen, Playback, Strategy and Boards.