Beyond Rights is delighted to announce that Connie Hodson will join the business next week in the newly-created position of head of partnerships and business development.

Reporting to CEO Kate Lewellyn-Jones, Hodson will be tasked with driving business growth by developing producer and other strategic partnerships, finding new ways to acquire and maximise IP, and by exploring innovative new approaches to ensure that Beyond Rights is a ‘go-to’ partner for a broad range of content creators and rights owners looking to enhance their profile on the international stage. As part of her remit, Connie will also assume full responsibility for the acquisitions and co-productions team, previously managed by the former head of acquisitions Jimmy Humphrey, as well as for marketing, working closely with the head of marketing and communications Sean Harris who will continue to lead on day-to-day operations.

Connie Hodson previously held the role of vice president of global content for Fox Networks Group Content Distribution (FNGCD), managing incoming scripted and unscripted content from global commissioning teams and producers within the National Geographic and Fox channels’ international networks, ahead of devising and implementing programme strategies to maximise revenues for FNGCD. Prior to her five years with Fox, she was commercial director at Sky Vison for nearly two years and before that, she spent ten years as a chief commercial officer at Parthenon, growing the company’s library, managing department heads, and developing commercial opportunities. Working with Parthenon’s CEO she was also at the forefront of the presentation and sale of Parthenon to Sky, which later rebranded to become Sky Vision. Hodson started her international TV career at HIT Entertainment, where she rose to become head of legal and business affairs of HIT Wildlife.

Kate Lewellyn-Jones, CEO at Beyond Rights comments: “Connie’s combination of top-flight commercial skills, excellent international relationships and creative approach to business will help turbo-charge Beyond Rights as we gear up for exciting times ahead. Her breadth of experience, gained from big and medium-sized distributors, is a real asset and I am looking forward to working closely with her as my second-in-command, to show that this new Beyond means business and can create innovative, flexible, and financially beneficial partnerships with a wide range of content companies.”

Connie Hodson adds: “Producers sit at the heart of any independent distribution business, so I am thrilled to inherit the impressive roster at Beyond Rights, as well as be given the opportunity to extend this still further. This year has truly highlighted producer creativity and I aim to be just as ambitiously creative with deal-making. I am excited to join Beyond Rights at such a pivotal time and look forward to working strategically with Kate and the team to grow the business, develop new relationships, and generate excellent returns for all our existing and future partners.”