Jesse Whittock
Jesse Whittock tracks how the global television business is evolving beyond Hollywood, with a particular focus on broadcasters, producers and platforms in Europe and Asia. His coverage at Deadline combines deal-led news, new-series announcements and industry trend pieces, giving a clear picture of how international players finance, distribute and market TV and related entertainment. A long-time trade journalist in the sector, he brings a background in specialist TV industry reporting to his current role on Deadline’s international TV desk.
Global broadcasters and cross-border TV institutions
Whittock’s work often centres on major public and commercial broadcasters and the structures that connect them. His coverage of Canada’s CBC/Radio-Canada becoming a full member of the European Broadcasting Union is typical, explaining how institutional changes affect programming, rights and collaboration across markets. He regularly reports on moves by national broadcasters and regulators, and folds those into a wider view of geopolitical and cultural shifts in television. In Deadline’s international coverage he helps articulate how decisions made by these organisations ripple through the commissioning, co-production and distribution landscape.
Series commissions, formats and international deals
A large part of Whittock’s recent output follows new dramas, comedies and factual series from first announcement through to international sale.
His stories on projects such as the crime drama Dose, which launches a multi-title partnership between KC Global Media and Rein Entertainment, show his interest in the mechanics of cross-border dealmaking and regional alliances. He covers acquisitions like MHz Choice picking up the Icelandic crime series Reykjavik Fusion, detailing both creative concept and the strategic reasons buyers move into particular genres or territories. Pieces on TV remakes, including the planned series version of Funny Or Die’s The Earliest Show with Ben Schwartz and Lauren Lapkus, underline his attention to format recycling and IP exploitation. Across these stories, he consistently anchors casting and creative notes in the business context: who is financing, which partners are attached, and how distribution is structured.
Creator economy, vertical video and new entertainment models
Whittock also follows the shifting economics of screen entertainment beyond traditional linear and streaming TV. His reporting on U.S. and Turkish industry veterans forming Shorties Studios to focus on vertical video and microdrama highlights an interest in how incumbents adapt to mobile-first viewing and short-form storytelling.
Coverage of creator economy ad spend projections, including data showing that spend in this segment is growing significantly faster than the broader media market, places his beat at the intersection of advertising, platforms and talent.
When he profiles ventures such as Barbie in BarbieLand, an immersive experience planned for London’s West End, he treats live and experiential projects as part of the same ecosystem as television, emphasising brand extensions and multi-platform audience strategies. This strand of his work marks him out as a reporter who sees TV not in isolation but as one node in a wider entertainment and creator economy.
Travel, lifestyle and global brand extensions
Within Deadline’s entertainment remit, Whittock frequently writes about television projects that double as travel, lifestyle or soft-power showcases.
His coverage of Daniel Dae Kim fronting and producing the CNN Travel series K-Everything connects casting decisions and creative framing to a broader wave of Korean cultural exports. He picks up similar threads in stories where screen IP moves into live experiences or tourism-focused programming, showing how broadcasters and studios leverage content to build destination marketing and franchise value. Even in these lifestyle-adjacent pieces, the through-line is the business of television: who commissions, what audiences are targeted, and how global brands are positioned.
International Insider and industry-facing analysis
Beyond individual news stories, Whittock plays a key role in Deadline’s International Insider coverage, the weekly round-up of major TV and film developments from outside the U.S. He has taken the helm on editions that cover topics such as deep cuts at the BBC, controversies surrounding characters like Ali G, and reports from festivals including San Sebastian, weaving together corporate news, creative trends and on-the-ground observations. Other instalments he edits or contributes to span issues such as political shifts affecting film and TV in countries like Hungary, high-profile Oscar submissions from France, and complex sagas around projects such as Naza in Israel.
These newsletters showcase his ability to synthesise disparate stories into a coherent narrative about the international industry’s direction, with an emphasis on what matters to executives, producers and buyers.
Background in specialist TV journalism and industry engagement
Whittock’s current role at Deadline builds on years spent at television trade publications, where he worked across news, features and long-form analysis of the TV business.
That experience feeds into his present-day reporting, which often balances fast-breaking announcements with deeper context on market structures and commissioning trends. Professional biographies for conference appearances describe him as overseeing breaking news and features coverage out of Europe and Asia, and note his work moderating panels and speaking on radio and podcasts about the TV industry.
Taken together, his track record and current portfolio position him as a journalist whose distinctive value lies in sustained, industry-facing coverage of international television rather than general entertainment news.
4 more entertainment journalists.
Abbie Bray
Abbie Bray reports on how television affects the people on screen and the viewers at home. She is acting head of Screen Time, working across national and regional titles on dramas, soaps, factual entertainment and live broadcasts. Her focus includes Death in Paradise, Beyond Paradise, Vera and Midsomer Murders, as well as Gardeners’ World, Our Yorkshire Farm, Countryfile, Garden Rescue and A Place in the Sun. She also covers presenters, long-running series, sports broadcasts, viewer complaints and Ofcom scrutiny. Before Screen Time, she was a TV reporter for Metro and the Daily Express, then held weekend TV editor, assistant TV editor and deputy showbiz editor roles. Her reporting links TV formats to grief, career changes, casting, audience reaction and the personal stakes behind live coverage.
Adam Bloodworth
Adam Bloodworth covers how culture, nightlife and luxury spaces shape modern entertainment and everyday life. He is a Features Journalist and Deputy Life&Style Editor at City A.M., where he has written and commissioned culture and lifestyle features since 2022. He is also Deputy Editor of City A.M. The Magazine. His beat includes film, TV, music, theatre, things to do, restaurants, hotels, members’ clubs, fashion and LGBTQ storytelling. He has written for The Telegraph, The Independent, VICE, Metro and HuffPost UK. He reviews gigs, theatre and restaurants, profiles venues and reports on live-music infrastructure. His work often combines criticism with first-person experience, judging places and performances by their atmosphere, stories and audience experience. He also interviews public figures and appears as an on-air commentator.
Adam England
Adam England stands out for linking celebrity news to wider trends in music, sport, health and everyday life. He is a writer-reporter on the news team at People, where he covers entertainment, culture and lifestyle through timely stories and evergreen explainers. His work has appeared in publications including The Guardian, The Independent, Vice, Dazed, Healthline and Verywell Mind. He writes about music, screen entertainment, celebrity careers, fan communities, sport, cultural history, mental health, travel, pets, relationships and social affairs. His explainers include the 2023 NFL Draft and Bruce Lee’s death. He also reports on sensitive celebrity health stories, such as Lionel Richie cutting a concert short after feeling dizzy. His reporting is clear, factual and service-driven. He strips back jargon and mythology, uses lived experience and expert input where relevant, and avoids sensationalism.
Adam White
Adam White is features editor across culture and lifestyle at The Independent. He writes and commissions long-form features, essays and interviews on film, television, music and entertainment. His work examines how fame, fandom and taste shape contemporary culture, from streaming thrillers and celebrity disclosure to festivals, live music and creative careers. His writing has appeared in Dazed, Huck, i-D, Playboy, The Telegraph, The i, Little White Lies, The Quietus and Nylon. He uses a strong, voice-led style that combines reporting, observation and personal immersion. His streaming coverage treats television as something experienced as much as watched. His celebrity essays connect star narratives to wider questions about privacy and public image. His festival writing focuses on audiences and live events as cultural rituals. His interviews with film-makers and authors rely on rapport, extended stories and reflection.