After Party Studios has appointed former LADbible Group and Arcade Media executive Connor Suckling as executive producer as the digital-first production company expands its sports output.
Suckling joins from head of originals roles at Arcade Media and News UK, where he led content development and branded content partnerships. He previously spent four years at LADbible Group as lead creative producer for LADbible Originals, working across SPORTbible and YouTube-first programming.
His earlier credits include leading Sky Sports’ darts coverage and producing digital content around the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Premier League Productions, Tottenham Hotspur and Goal.
Suckling (pictured) will report to After Party Studios’ head of sport Dave Horner.
“Connor joining the team is a real statement of intent from us here at After Party Studios, proof that we’re doubling down on the vast opportunities in the Sports Ents space ahead of us,” said Horner. “His expertise will allow us to continue delivering great work with brands like Red Bull, Sky Bet, Sky Sports and more, using Connor’s experience from all pockets across the sports landscape – including club and federation level, broadcaster and publisher – to deliver more across our expanding slate.”
Suckling added: “After Party Studios has built an industry-leading reputation I’ve admired from afar and I could not be happier to be joining the team. I’ve worked in most corners of the sports landscape and it’s rare to find a studio operating at that level across club, federation, branded and digital. What excites me most is bringing all of that together in one place, knowing the ambitions they have.”
The appointment follows a series of digital sports projects from After Party, including Inside Neymar Jr’s World, a Red Bull-backed docuseries following Neymar Jr around his selection for Brazil’s World Cup squad. The company said the series has generated more than 500 million views.
Its slate also includes Race To The Top, charting KSI’s involvement with Dagenham & Redbridge FC, and Sky Sports matchday series SCENES. The latter began its fourth season with an episode featuring creator Niko Omilana and Manchester United footballer Bruno Fernandes, which After Party said attracted more than 750,000 views in its first two days. The series has generated more than 160 million views overall, according to the studio.
Other recent projects include a spoof creator takeover of the Soccer Saturday studio for Sky Sports, Sky Bet and EFL series League of ’72, the Team Talk podcast franchise and Sky Bet YouTube series If I Speak.
