Global producer, distributor and channel operator Blue Ant Media has expanded its executive team with the appointments of Beatrice Lee and Carlyn Staudt to its Kids & Global Networks division, effective immediately.

Both Lee and Staudt will report into former Racat Group consultant Ward Platt, who is now CEO for the recently launched division.

Lee (pictured) has been appointed to lead Blue Ant’s wholly owned Asian subsidiary of Blue Ant Media, operating under the company’s Kids & Global Networks banner.

As CEO for BAM Asia, Lee will manage and expand the international channels Love Nature 4K, ZooMoo, Blue Ant Entertainment and Blue Ant Extreme (formerly RTL CBS Entertainment and RTL CBS Extreme, respectively) in the Asia-Pacific region. Based out of the company’s Singapore offices, she joins the media conglomerate’s corporate management team.

Most recently, Lee worked at Aser Group where she served as CEO of its start-up virtual reality company BSI VR; sports media rights agency MP & Silva, where she was managing director; Infront Sports and Media as commercial director; and Total Sports Asia Agency as senior manager of business development.

Staudt, meanwhile, will become EVP for Love Nature programming and development. In this capacity, she will be responsible for leading the global programming strategy of the wildlife network’s linear and streaming video platforms internationally, with the exception of North America. Jamie Schouela, EVP of Canadian Networks, leads programming in Canada.

In addition, Staudt will also be responsible for building and leading a development and production team to support Love Nature’s expansion while also commissioning original content to grow the brand’s extensive library of 4K natural history programming.

Staudt will operate out of the company’s new Washington, D.C. location as part of Blue Ant’s efforts to move Love Nature’s content operations from its Toronto offices to the American capital, which will be run through its global networks division by way of Platt, who is distributing the linear channel service and video streaming service internationally.

Changing the way its content business operates to help further its international expansion, the Love Nature business moved under Blue Ant’s global networks division last month, a restructuring that will see Vanessa Case and Marcia Martin exiting their respective roles in the coming months.

Staudt arrives at Blue Ant from National Geographic Partners where she served as SVP of global content partnerships and strategic development. Staudt also held a variety of senior roles within the Nat Geo, notably as SVP of global programming and MD of National Geographic Channels’ international operations.

“Blue Ant Media has experienced transformative growth in 2017 and these additions to our Kids & Global Networks division are important to support the international expansion of our channels business,” said Platt in a statement.

The hirings follow Blue Ant’s May acquisition of New Zealand-based media company The Racat Group, previous home of interactive children’s nature broadcaster ZooMoo and storied factual producer NHNZ, in an effort to become more of a global content player.

Lee and Staudt will now join George Jeffery, Raymond van der Vliet, Frédéric Chevance and Kelly Butler as executives in the recently minted Kids and Global Networks division. These four executives are tasked with building channel presence for Love Nature 4K and ZooMoo across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

From Realscreen