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Primitives has appointed former Paramount Global Content Distribution executive Katie Pike as Director of Sales and Acquisitions. Pike brings more than 14 years of experience across Paramount and CBS, where she played a key role in expanding the international reach of a portfolio of globally recognised entertainment brands.

Her appointment follows the recent leadership transition at Primitives, with Simone de Pruyssenaere de la Woestyne taking over from Jan Huyse as managing director in December. Under the new structure, de Pruyssenaere de la Woestyne continues to oversee all sales and acquisitions across Benelux, the Nordics, Germany and France. Pike will represent Primitives’ expanding slate of partnerships across the US, Canada, Latin America, Spain, Italy, Portugal, the Middle East, Turkey and Asia, while London-based sales and acquisitions manager Emma Gosling will continue to handle the UK, Australia and CEE markets.

Simone de Pruyssenaere de la Woestyne said: “This is a defining moment for Primitives, which has performed above and beyond expectation in the last year. 99 To Beat’s ongoing success points to broadcasters’ faith in returnable entertainment formats — and the fact that we’ve seen a 50:50 split between new licenses and recommissions shows there’s also room for fresh new formats, which is an uplifting thought! Against this backdrop, Katie’s experience and perspective will be invaluable. She comes to us with an outstanding track record, along with a sharp business mindset and a collaborative approach that fits perfectly with our culture. I’m very much looking forward to working with her as we continue to grow Primitives together.”

Katie Pike said: “I am thrilled to be joining Primitives at such a positive moment. Simone and the team are doing incredibly well in an exceptionally challenging market, and there’s a real sense of momentum and ambition around the company. For me, joining Primitives feels like the next logical step in my career. After a deeply rewarding 14 years at Paramount/CBS working on some of the most successful formats of the past, I’m looking forward to bringing my knowledge and experience to a company that looks to redefine the formats industry of the future.”

The appointment comes on the back of a standout year for Primitives, driven by the international success of its original Belgian format "99 To Beat", which now ranks alongside "The Traitors" as one of the six most internationally sold formats in 2025. The company was also named by TV trends-tracking agency The WIT among the top 10 global format distributors last year, marking the first time an independent distributor has entered the formats super-league.

Looking ahead, Primitives has secured 13 new first-season commissions for 2026, alongside 12 recommissions, underlining continued broadcaster confidence in its returning titles. The distributor has further expanded its global footprint, licensing content into 19 territories, including the key US and UK markets, and entering four new territories: Brazil, Hungary, Lithuania and Slovakia.

The company’s catalogue has also been strengthened through the acquisition of eight new formats, including "The Ultimate Celebrity Car Park Showdown", which has already been licensed in two territories and optioned in 13, and the Danish entertainment and national heritage hybrid "History Hunters", which launched on DR1 in November and has since been optioned in six territories.