Fremantle Hires Andrew Llinares as Director of Global Entertainment – The Hollywood Reporter

world production giant fremantle has appointed Andrew Llinares as its head of global entertainment.

Llinares, who will be based in London and will report to group chief executive Jennifer Mullin, replaces Rob Clark, who will retire at the end of February after 20 years with the company. The role sees the executive assume overall responsibility for Fremantle’s vast global entertainment production, development and acquisitions teams, and with them successful franchises including Got talent, Idol, The X Factor, Too hot to handle, the masked singer Y I can see your voice. Llinares’ hiring comes less than two weeks after Fremantle promoted Christian Vesper to executive director of global drama, overseeing the company’s broad portfolio of scripted production companies.

An experienced executive producer, Llinares has a long history with Fremantle. He previously directed the Thames/Syco co-productions in the UK and was the original showrunner on The X Factor Y Brittany’s Got Talent when they were first released in the UK, in 2004 and 2007 respectively. Since 2011, while living and working in the US, he was also an executive producer and executive producer of the US version of The X-factor, before becoming an EP and showrunner at dancing with the stars in 2018.

“I am very excited to take up this role in Fremantle, it is like coming home for me,” Llinares said. “Not only am I returning to the UK, but I am also returning to a company where I have felt at home…