BOAT ROCKER STUDIOS ADDS NEW DIRECTOR OF YOUTUBE MANAGEMENT & DIGITAL PARTNERSHIPS
Lara Sword joins the London office as part of the company’s strategic focus on owned IP and rights management
TORONTO, ON, September 15, 2026 – Boat Rocker Studios, the award-winning independent entertainment company, has hired Lara Sword as Director, YouTube Management & Digital Partnerships as part of the organization’s strategic focus on the creation and monetization of owned IP across all platforms and genres.
Sword joins Boat Rocker Studios' London, UK office and reports to Mellany Welsh, SVP, Head of Global Distribution & Brands. In the newly established role, Sword will be responsible for driving audience growth and revenue for existing Boat Rocker IP across YouTube and digital platforms, as well as developing and monetizing original and third-party content specifically designed for YouTube and other creator-driven platforms.
Sword most recently served as Head of Factual Network at Eccho Rights Group, where she led content acquisition and channel strategy across a portfolio of unscripted YouTube channels, including BingeWorthy Documentaries and Killer Crime. Prior to that, she served as a Senior Acquisitions Manager at Little Dot Studios, where she acquired content across all entertainment genres for AVOD, SVOD and FAST distribution.
“We're thrilled to welcome Lara to Boat Rocker Studios in this new and very important role,” said Welsh. “YouTube is a critical part of the global content landscape, and Lara's expertise will be instrumental as we sharpen our digital strategy, expand the reach of our content and brands, and unlock new opportunities across the business."
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About Boat Rocker Studios
An independent, integrated global entertainment company, Boat Rocker Studios’ mission is to create and own premium content, build a world-class library of IP and deliver unmatched expertise in the curation and distribution of entertainment from creators worldwide to audiences everywhere. With offices around the world, Boat Rocker brings end-to-end creative expertise, robust business operations, and global franchise capabilities across Scripted, Unscripted, Documentary, Kids & Family and Animation content. A selection of Boat Rocker’s projects includes Bet (Netflix), Mix Tape (BBC, Binge, RTE), The Ridge (BBC Scotland, Sky New Zealand Originals), Geek Girl (Netflix), Invasion (Apple TV+), Palm Royale (Apple TV+), Orphan Black (BBC AMERICA, CTV Sci-Fi Channel), The Next Step (BBC, Corus, CBC), Dino Ranch (Disney+, Disney Junior, CBC), and Dino Ranch: Island Explorers (Amazon Kids+, CBC, Warner Bros. Discovery EMEA). For more information, please visit www.boatrocker.com.
For further information:
Regan Reid
Director of Communications