One of Netflix’s most senior UK executives will chair this year’s Edinburgh TV Festival at what the fest termed is a time when “consolidation seems to be the word of the moment.”
Adam Hawkins, who runs UK doc series, will oversee the event in a year that could see his American employer complete the biggest entertainment M&A deal of a generation by buying Warner Bros. Discovery.
Hawkins, who worked on the smash hit The Tinder Swindler when he was Creative Director at Raw, joined Netflix in 2022 and has since greenlit the likes of Victoria Beckham, Robbie Williams and the upcoming Being Gordon Ramsay. He is also working on Netflix’s first daily world cup soccer show, Gary Lineker’s The Rest is Football.
“At a time when the global television industry faces unprecedented change, and consolidation seems to be the word of the moment, Hawkins will look to build on the Festival’s 2025 themes of finding solutions to working in an ever changing and complex landscape,” the fest said.
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Hawkins added: “Edinburgh TV Festival has always been the best place for the TV industry to celebrate successes and take stock of challenges. Viewers still love television (in all its ever-increasing forms) and the UK industry is still world-beating. I hope this year’s Festival will provoke debate, inspire renewal and provide some guiding lights through this time of change.”
Hawkins will be advisory chair for 2026, which could be the final time the 50-year-old fest is held in the Scottish capital, with other cities currently considering bids to take it on from 2027. Last year’s advisory chair was Bad Wolf boss Jane Tranter, who was praised for helping put together a starry lineup including Shonda Rhimes and Tina Fey. The fest is also in the process of looking for a new creative director following the exit of Rowan Woods.
Fatima Salaria, Chair of the TV Festival Board, said: “I’m thrilled to have Adam Hawkins joining us as Advisory Chair for 2026. He thinks deeply about television, cares about craft, and has a strong sense of the pressures and possibilities shaping the industry right now.”