The Tinopolis Group has appointed three new creative directors across its UK labels.
Tammy Hoyle joins Firecracker as Creative Director, Yonni Usiskin has been named Creative Director of Mentorn, and Gill Brown is appointed Creative Director of Tinopolis Scotland.
The hires were made by Hannah Wyatt, CEO of Tinopolis Unscripted UK, who has oversight of all three labels.
Firecracker will focus on bold factual entertainment, reality and talent-led documentaries; Mentorn will continue to build premium factual, documentary and true crime programming; and Tinopolis Scotland will remain a key Glasgow-based production hub for content across the UK.
“These hires are about scale, clarity and ambition. We are investing in senior creative leaders who understand the commissioning landscape, think globally, and know how to build distinctive slates,“ said Hannah Wyatt, CEO, Tinopolis Unscripted UK. “Tammy, Yonni and Gill each bring their own unique creative lens and together strengthen our existing team and our ability to deliver premium unscripted content while giving each production company a clear, differentiated editorial and commercial identity.”
Each of the new creative directors will work across development strategy, creative pipelines and editorial direction within their respective labels, while collaborating across the wider Tinopolis network. They will work alongside the current senior team across Mentorn and Firecracker including Cara Cummings, Director of Development, Tinopolis Unscripted; Tayte Simpson, Director of Programmes, Mentorn; and Nicolai Gentchev, Director of Current Affairs, Mentorn.
Tammy Hoyle, Creative Director, Firecracker joins from Nutopia, where she led a strategic push into factual entertainment, and previously spent five years at BBC Studios overseeing UK development and US and streamer strategy. Her credits include “Big Brother”, “I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here!”, “Hell’s Kitchen”, “Ultimate Wedding Planners”, and “Greggs: More Than Meats The Pie.”
Hoyle said: “Firecracker has a fearless creative voice and a track record of making content that cuts through the cultural landscape. I’m excited to build bold formats, deepen talent partnerships and create factual entertainment that feels fresh, relevant and unmissable.”
Yonni Usiskin — Creative Director, Mentorn joins from Brinkworth, where as Head of Content he built a slate focused on premium true crime IP for the UK and US, following senior development roles at BBC Studios and eight years at VICE, where he helped scale the company from digital disruptor to major factual player. His credits include “MH370: The Lost Plane”, “The Murder of Charlene Downes”, and “The Satanic Verses: 30 Years On.”
Usiskin said: “Mentorn has an extraordinary legacy in factual content spanning current affairs, crime documentaries, long-running returners like ‘Question Time’ and globally successful formats like ‘An Idiot Abroad’. That heritage gives us a powerful springboard to build bold, premium series with global ambition, grounded in strong journalism and distinctive storytelling.”
Gill Brown — Creative Director, Tinopolis Scotland, will work across both Mentorn and Firecracker with emphasis on Tinopolis’ long-term investment in premium content made in Scotland. Formerly a Commissioning Editor at Channel 4, she oversaw major long-running series including “Junior Bake Off”, “Location Location Location” and “George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces”, and has recently executive produced “Narrow Escapes,” “Two Men on a Bike” and “Sailing the Shipping Forecast.”
Brown said: “Scotland has an incredible production community, and Tinopolis’ renewed commitment recognises that strength. Mentorn’s move of ‘The Big Questions’ to Scotland was pivotal in my own career, and I’m delighted to continue building ambitious, high-quality programmes from Glasgow with the wider Tinopolis team.”
Jon Creamer
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