Francesca Johnson’s arrival comes as Claire Runham set to step down
BossaNova Media has hired a former National Geographic exec as its head of acquisitions, Broadcast International has learned.
Francesca Johnson takes on the remit from Claire Runham, who has been with BossaNova and fellow Paul Heaney-founded firm TCB Media Rights for a decade. She is stepping down to spend more time with her family.
Johnson joins having spent 11 years with Nat Geo overseeing development and working with the London-based commissioning team on projects for its channels and Disney+, including Diana: In Her Own Words, Drain the Oceans and Lost Cities.
She also worked with network heads across Asia, Europe and Latin America on co-production opportunities, and more recently was executive vice-president of content at Anyway Content, exiting in December 2023.
Johnson then launched development consultancy firm Table41, which was behind The Infinite Explorer for Hannah Fry with Atomic Television for National Geographic Channel.
She joins UK-based Bossanova alongside Iona Hopper, who was most recently at DCD Rights and is taking the newly created role of acquisitions manager, reporting into Johnson.
Hopper had been part of the acquisitions team at DCD since 2022, developing projects across scripted and factual programming. She worked on shows including the upcoming Prue & Sandi’s South African Adventure for Channel 4, and had previously had stints at Fremantle as a drama executive in its Global Drama team.
The rejig also sees Lyra Semsedini promoted to acquisitions and materials co-ordinator to support the department.
Heaney, chief exec and founder of BossaNova, said: “As a team we are all totally gutted at Runners’ leaving, but we wish her very well and hope to work together again.
“The role of an acquisitions team in a distribution operation has changed so much in the almost decade we’ve worked together and Runners rode every wave of change from self-commissioning to transforming the sparkling Development Day into what it is today.
“Iona and Francesca are two people at the forefront of all these changes and we know they’re not coming in for business as usual. Both have very different, complimentary skills and certainly wouldn’t be agreeing to join the brilliant BossaNova team if they didn’t see the huge gap of opportunity on offer for a resourced unscripted distributor in today’s market. Businesses in distribution can only thrive with the right investment, an established community of buyers, producers and an excellent team. We have that.”
Johnson said: “After a career spanning broadcasting, production, and consulting with indie clients in the UK and internationally, I’m thrilled to be joining the distribution side of the business at BossaNova.
“Paul and the team are known for their innovative approach to financing and deal-making. I can’t wait to see what we achieve together.”
Hopper added: “I’ve long admired Paul and the team’s approach to development and deal-making, and I’m really looking forward to getting started with the newly formed acquisitions team.”
The appointments come two weeks after Herbert Kloiber’s Night Train Media sold its stake in BossaNova, Eccho Rights and Curve Media to private equity outfit Serafin Group.
Serafin had previously invested in Germany-based Night Train, but will now own its stake in the three companies directly.
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