Caroline Sparkes Joins Free Turn Entertainment as Chief Growth Officer

Entertainment company Free Turn has announced the appointment of Caroline Sparkes as chief growth officer.

As part of the leadership team, Sparkes will help Free Turn and its brand clients navigate the total entertainment landscape, across entertainment and audience strategy; creation and distribution of owned entertainment IP; commercial and funding opportunities, and emerging entertainment platforms and partners.

Her arrival comes as Free Turn has been appointed to develop entertainment channel strategy for a global digital distribution company including live commerce programming. In addition, Free Turn is in pre-production across many brand-funded entertainment projects.

​Jon Hamm, co-founder and CEO, Free Turn, said: “Caroline implicitly gets that 'new business' is a two way street, it's as much about driving growth for the people and brands we work with as it is about driving growth for us. Free Turn is set up to maximise the growth potential for brands through strategic and commercial partnerships in a transforming entertainment landscape and Caroline becomes responsible for keeping us true to that philosophy in our own go to market strategy.”

Sparkes joins Free Turn from brand experience agency George P Johnson, where she was head of growth. She brings with her over 20 years’ of international business development experience with marketing agencies including Huge, Greenroom Digital, Critical Mass, Dare, Momentum and Euro RSCG. She was formerly marketing and communications chair of BIMA - the British Interactive Media Association. In these roles she helped clients and agencies accelerate marketing growth with a focus on emerging and evolving disciplines.

She joins a Free Turn leadership line-up that spans both Hollywood and advertising including ex-WPP agency global chief creative officer Jon Hamm; BAFTA award-winning Hollywood director Nick Hamm; Firecracker Films co-founder Jeremy Groman, and former WPP agency growth director and IPA’ ‘woman of tomorrow’, Gemma Batterby.

Caroline added: “As entertainment consumption evolves and brands look for new ways to connect with their consumers, it’s  precisely the right moment for Free Turn to bridge the gap between entertainment and brands. I’m thrilled to be playing a key role driving forward such an innovative and relevant offering.”