Fox Names Sophie Leonard as EVP, Unscripted: Leading Creative Strategy and Development
Fox has appointed Sophie Leonard as the new EVP, Unscripted, following the departure of Yasmin Rawji. Leonard, the creator of Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test, will lead the creative strategy, development, and production of Fox's unscripted slate, focusing on scalable competition formats, breakthrough social experiments, and returnable event series. She will report to Michael Thorn, President of Fox Television Network, overseeing both scripted and unscripted programming.
Leonard co-founded Samphire Films in 2014 and secured investment from BBC Studios last year. With a background as Creative Director at Minnow Films, she has worked on shows like SAS: Who Dares Wins and its spinoff Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins. Leonard's credits also include The Apprentice, First Dates, Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal, and Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action.
Michael Thorn praised Leonard's creative leadership and global perspective, highlighting her impact on Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test. Leonard expressed excitement about joining Fox and praised the network's ambitious growth story, creative freedom, and speed of innovation. She looks forward to collaborating with producers and partners worldwide to develop bold unscripted programming for Fox.