Will Scougal, EVP Brand & Commercial Partnerships at ITV Studios and the global lead for Studio 55, has strengthened his team with a series of senior appointments. 

Following a strong first six months for the business, with growing demand from brands, agencies and creators looking to work more closely with ITV Studios’ world-class IP, the new appointments align with the next stage of growth: strengthening Studio 55’s global capabilities across licensing, brand partnerships, creator collaborations and brand solutions to better support partners around the world.

Following a period of significant transformation, which saw the ITV Studios Brand Licensing business evolve into Studio 55, Lou Black, former SVP Brand Licensing, becomes Global SVP Brand & Commercial Partnerships. Since joining ITV Studios in 2024, Lou has restructured and evolved the brand licensing business to deliver significant commercial growth while also strengthening Studio 55’s creative capabilities and brand governance across ITV Studios’ global portfolio. In her expanded role, Lou will drive global growth across two key pillars of the Studio 55 business: brand licensing and brand solutions.

Reporting to Will, Amy Johal joins Studio 55 as VP Creator Partnerships, leading on global creator partnerships and production strategy, expanding how the business collaborates with partners and brands to build a best-in-class creator business. Amy joins Studio 55 from TikTok where she led entertainment partnerships, helping to grow TikTok’s entertainment ecosystem through strategic creator partnerships with major studios and broadcasters. Amy has extensive experience in creator partnerships and digital production, bringing expertise in developing strategic collaborations between creators, brands and production partners.

Also new to the team and reporting to Lou are Remy Kirk and John Taite who take up complementary roles in the UK and US respectively to build and expand relationships with agencies and brands.

Remy Kirk joins as VP Brand Solutions to unlock growth with media agencies globally, responsible for establishing and scaling strategic relationships with brand partners and top-tier advertisers, creating integrated commercial opportunities around ITV Studios’ IP. Remy brings 28 years’ experience building commercial growth strategies and leading  award-winning partnerships teams. She joins from Warner Bros. Discovery, where she was Senior Director, Client & Strategy. Prior to that, she held a senior commercial leadership role at Bauer Media.

John Taite joins as VP Brand Partnerships, North America, where he will lead Studio 55’s US business, developing and executing brand partnerships strategy across the region. Working alongside the ITV America leadership team, he will interface with media agencies, brands, retailers and local partners to lead brand licensing for the ITV Studios’ portfolio including Love Island, Hell’s Kitchen and The Voice as well the development of new brand-led content partnerships. John is a leading voice in brand partnerships, having established BBC America’s branded content and partnerships business and played a key role in the launch of BBC Studios in North America. Most recently, he was EVP, Global Brand Partnerships & Development at Made Music Studio, following senior leadership roles at MTV, AMC Networks and BBC Studios.

Will Scougal, EVP Brand & Commercial Partnerships, ITV Studios said, “Lou’s an excellent commercial and creative leader. Her expanded remit, along with the hires of three hugely talented VPs in Amy, Remy and John, bring more focus to the growth and creative ambition of Studio 55 and open up even more opportunities for our partners.”