David Granger
Creative Director
David runs Monkey’s television productions with overall responsibility for the execution of all Monkey programs. Before co-founding Monkey, he was Head of Television at Ginger and worked on many of their most successful programs, including TFI Friday.
Will Macdonald
Creative Director
Will takes the lead in generating ideas for Monkey and oversees the creative side of the company. Before co-founding Monkey in 2000, Will worked at Ginger, where he co-wrote and/or produced Emmy, Bafta and Comedy Award-winning shows such as Don't Forget Your Toothbrush, TFI Friday and The Priory.
Samantha Lawrence
Managing Director
As MD of Monkey, Samantha gets involved in pretty much everything! Prior to joining she ran Silver River as MD for a decade. Back in the day she set up Maverick London and was a founding member of Love Productions.
Ollie Brack
Head of Alternative Programming, Monkey US
Ollie has relocated to Los Angeles to head up Monkey’s operations in the US. Prior to this he was head of entertainment & comedy in London for Monkey UK.
Heidi Birkett
Head of On-Screen Talent
As the Head of Talent at Monkey, Heidi is responsible for all productions and development for on-screen talent. From A-List stars to Elves with a few Made in Chelsea bods in-between, if they are in front of the camera for Monkey, Heidi is their first point of call.
Andy Charles Smith
Andy joined Monkey having produced shows for a number of leading indies and broadcasters. With a background in live and studio entertainment, his credits include classic entertainment formats such as Surprise Surprise and Tonight At The London Palladium as well as several successful first series across genres from Naked Attraction and Alan Carr’s New Year’s Specstacular to Animal Rescue Live and What Would Your Kid Do?
Emily Rai
Production Executive
Emily joined Monkey as a Line Producer on Made in Chelsea and continues to work across the slate as a Production Executive. Prior to joining Monkey, Emily worked cross genre on lots of shows including The Island with Bear Grylls, The Grand Tour and Masterchef.
Nick Withers
Head of Development
Nick is the head of development at Monkey which means he spends a lot of his time making stuff up and hoping it will be the next big format. He has been clinging on at Monkey since the beginning of 2017 – where he has developed shows like C4’s Britain’s Best Parent. He has had previous stints at companies like Endemol and Tiger Aspect where he can’t really remember what he did but he’s sure he was there.
Aisha Barratt
Digital Producer
Having worked in and around the industry for a number of years, Aisha has produced podcasts and digital content for shows such as The Last Kingdom, Downton Abbey (the film), Alita Battle Angel and a number of Monkey produced shows. After joining Monkey in January 2020, she now heads up all things digital, in-house.
Aaishah Aubeeluck
Executive Assistant
I have been part of the NBC Universal family for the last 5 years. Being a Personal Assistant to the Finance team in International Studio, I was used to the process of a TV show being greenlit and now working at Monkey Kingdom, I am part of the production team. It’s wonderful to see a production from beginning to the end product on TV.
Nazleen Karim
Nazleen Karim started her career at the BBC working entertainment shows such as Strictly Come Dancing and its sister show It Takes Two. She later became a director, directing programmes such as The Biggest Loser, Britain and Ireland’s Next Top Model, Surprise Surprise and So You Think You Can Dance.
After holding senior and executive roles on Big Brother, Gemma Collins: Diva Espana and TOWIE, Nazleen now oversees top long-running series Made in Chelsea.
Hannah Peddar
Hannah joined Monkey as Production Executive in 2020 and looks after a number of their current productions. She started her career in television in 2007, working as a Runner for ITV and then a Production Secretary for the BBC. She went onto Production Manage and Line Produce numerous shows including ‘Have I Got News for You’, ‘Alan Carr’s Chatty Man’ and ‘The Ranganation’ and later became a Production Executive in 2019.
Lavinia Roye
Production Accountant
Lavinia started out as a Production Accountant at ITV, working in the Entertainment Department on shows such as Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, Parkinson & Brainiac. She then went on to work at award winning indies Darlow Smithson Productions (I Shouldn’t Be Alive) & Raw TV (Gold Rush), as the Senior Production Accountant, before coming to Monkey.
Maaria Irtizaali
Production Accountant
Having worked as a freelancer in the world of scripted drama for a number of years, Maaria joined Monkey as a Production Accountant in 2015. She has worked over a variety of shows including the Real Housewives of Cheshire.