ITV’s Director of Reality and Acquisitions, Paul Mortimer, has decided to step down from his role at the end of the year, after overseeing this autumn’s series of "Big Brother." The Reality slate and future reality commissions will move across to Katie Rawcliffe, who becomes Director of Entertainment, Reality and Daytime from September. Commissioning Editor, Amanda Stavri, who oversees Reality hits such as Love Island and TOWIE, will move into Rawcliffe’s team. The Content Acquisitions team will report to Craig Morris, expanding his current responsibilities. Morris becomes Director of Channels, ITVX, and Acquisitions. ITV is recruiting for a Head of Acquisitions to replace Sasha Breslau, who will report to Morris.
Paul Mortimer said: “It’s been such a great pleasure to have spent so long at ITV, working with some great people and having been given so many opportunities, both creatively and otherwise. I arrived with a mission to improve ratings amongst younger audiences and Love Island was a huge part of that. I’m therefore very pleased to see it still going strong- with the latest series growing its audience year on year. More recently, with a talented team of Reality Commissioners, we’ve landed some big hits on ITV1, ITV2, and ITVX with more coming down the line. Overseeing Content Acquisitions, I’ve worked with all the big US Studios and Distributors and been lucky enough to travel with some wonderful colleagues to markets and events around the world. Arriving at ITV, for my first stint, over 30 years ago, I could never have imagined where my career would take me, the people I’d meet, or the fun I would have over the next three decades. I’d especially like to thank the inimitable Kevin Lygo for all of his support, which spans twenty years and includes my working for him at Channel 5, Channel 4, and most recently at ITV. I’d also like to wish all my friends across ITV plc the best of luck for the future.”
Mortimer joined the network as the Controller of Digital Channels in 2012. Under his leadership, ITV2 commissioned long-runners including "Love Island" and "The Real Housewives of Cheshire." He was promoted to Head of Digital Channels and Acquisitions in 2016. He became ITV’s Director of Reality and Acquisitions in 2022, bringing "Love Island: All Stars," "Big Brother," "The Fortune Hotel," "My Mum, Your Dad," and "The Summit" onto ITV’s commissioning slate. Before joining ITV, Mortimer spent five years at Channel 4, becoming the Head of E4. He has also worked for the Discovery Channel and Channel 5, but began his career at the ITV Network Centre in 1994.