UK producer Hungry Bear Media is accelerating its move beyond traditional TV, unveiling a broader digital-first strategy that includes a senior talent appointment, new creator-led formats and an increased focus on building IP across multiple platforms.
The company has appointed Rachel Hardy as head of talent and strategic partnerships for its new HB Talent division. Hardy joins from Flight Story and will lead efforts to develop talent brands, work with Hungry Bear’s development team on new formats and secure commercial partnerships spanning digital, podcasts and branded content.
The move signals a significant strategic shift for the producer behind broadcast entertainment hits including Michael McIntyre’s Big Show, Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel and Gladiators, as it seeks to build a business extending beyond linear TV.
Hungry Bear has already established a presence on YouTube through its Bear Laughs and Play to the Whistle channels and says it is now developing original digital formats. It also recently completed an in-house digital studio at its Hammersmith headquarters to enable faster production and piloting of new content.
Hardy’s appointment comes as the company prepares to launch Holly Willoughby Together, a lifestyle series distributed across YouTube, streaming platforms and social media. As previously reported by The Drop, the series represents Willoughby’s most significant move into creator-led publishing, with weekly episodes featuring cooking, fashion, beauty, celebrity guests and audience participation.
Hungry Bear said its recent social activity has already delivered strong results. The latest series of Michael McIntyre’s Big Show generated 250 million social media views, with almost half of those coming from the programme’s Remember Me segment. Meanwhile, the Bear Laughs channel has attracted millions of views by repackaging comedy moments from the company’s entertainment shows, while Play to the Whistle has been launched as a second digital channel focused on sports entertainment.
Juliet Denison Gay, creative director at Hungry Bear Media, said: “It is a really exciting time at Hungry Bear house. We have digital studios being literally built around us, we are making new multi-platform formats I’m calling ‘showcasts’ and working with the most wonderful people both in front of and behind the camera. I cannot wait to see what happens next.”
Hardy said the company was aiming to combine broadcast-quality production with creator economy business models. “The media landscape is experiencing exponential change. I’ve spent the last decade exploring how the emerging opportunities across the creator economy and scaled social can work hand in hand with quality content production at volume. What attracted me to Hungry Bear was their ambition to produce for multiple platforms, with the care and approach they always deliver for their big entertainment formats and in a way that truly integrates, building creator-led IP for audiences who organically evolve into communities. Their willingness to think differently about the business model and their collaborative, creative approach to working with talent will enable us to build independent global media brands. Holly Willoughby Together is a demonstration of our ambition and ability to deliver in this world.”
