Hot Shots 2026: Calum McIntosh

Calum McIntosh’s teenage dreams came true when joined Studio Lambert’s development team in January 2025. Not only was the company making a reality spin-off from the TV adaptation of video game Fallout, but they were about to ask him to get on board.

By the end of the year, Calum had spearheaded the development team’s creative on Fallout Shelter, which scored a 10-part commission for Prime Video – all while helping the team win the competitive bid to make Netflix’s Monopoly game show.

Born in Renfrew in west Scotland, Calum earned his stripes in development positions at Firecrest Films, Studio Ramsay Global and Chimp Television, where he developed large-scale shows for Discovery and National Geographic entirely remotely.

Now Studio Lambert’s sole representative for commissioners north of the border, he’s come far given his lack of TV connections when starting out.

“Calum has an uncanny knowledge of formats, whether that be the latest international shows or obscure game shows from the 1980s; if a format beat has been used before, there’s a good chance Calum will know about it,” says the company’s head of development, UK Unscripted, Harry Knott.

“It speaks volumes that Calum has already achieved success against a challenging industry backdrop, without needing to compromise on his location or perspective. A jack of all trades, Calum is an exceptional idea generator, deck and graphic designer, and is always first to assess and integrate AI tools, only where they won’t compromise human creative.

“With his creative energy, perfect people skills and expert tact, his work has been praised by leadership, stakeholders and commissioners alike.”