
BBC Studios Kids & Family has hired Katharina Pietzsch (pictured left) as VP of content sales and Kelly Wood as head of content strategy.
Pietzsch joins the distribution team from Germany’s ZDF Studios, where she oversaw commissions, co-productions and international sales in the kids department. At BBCS, she’ll head up sales and co-pro strategy for the Kids & Family portfolio, which includes The Wolfbjorns (52 x 11 minutes). Based in Germany with plans to travel frequently to London, Pietzsch officially starts next month and will report to Lawrence Szabo, EVP of US content distribution.
Wood joined in March 2023 and reports to managing director Cecilia Persson. She was previously an editorial lead for Nickelodeon at Paramount UK, overseeing content/programming strategy across linear and non-linear platforms. Wood is now focused on developing global and regional content plans for the BBC-branded channels run by Studios, plus third-party services and digital platforms.
The recruitment of these new execs completes a leadership team build that has been underway since the BBC’s broader reorg last year. Other new faces in the Kids & Family division include VP of development Edward Barnieh and head of commercial Alexandra McGrail, who were both hired in November.