New York, NY – Today, BBC Studios – Americas announces the promotion of Suzy Raia to Senior Vice President, Consumer Products and Business Development. Based in New York, Raia will continue to oversee and provide strategic licensing planning for the Bluey franchise in the Americas, as well as other key BBC brands including Doctor Who, Top Gear, His Dark Materials, and Natural History Unit programming.

Tara Maitra, Chief Commercial Officer, BBC Studios – Americas says: “Bluey has quickly grown to become a favorite brand among preschool-aged children and their families due in large part to Suzy’s fastidious devotion to the brand, as well as her keen insight into smart consumer product strategy. This well-deserved promotion acknowledges Suzy’s leadership in developing the Bluey franchise so successfully in such a short time, as well as for the positioning of the brand for continued, record-breaking growth in the future.”

Suzy Raia remarks: “I am living and breathing Bluey every day, and could not ask for a better brand in which to be fully immersed.  We have launched a robust licensing program in the U.S., with extensions in Canada and Latin America alongside our Master Toy Licensee Moose as well as many other best-in-class licensees. All I can say is, the best is yet to come!”

Bluey, recently renewed for a third eagerly-anticipated season on Disney Channel, Disney Junior and Disney+ in all territories outside of Australia, New Zealand and China, is a multi-award-winning Australian children’s series that continues to charm audiences around the globe. Loved by parents and children for its heartfelt and funny portrayal of family life and celebration of play, the series follows Bluey, a 6-year-old Blue Heeler dog, who loves to play and turns everyday family life into extraordinary adventures that unfold in unpredictable and hilarious ways, bringing her family, friends and community into her world of fun.

Since joining BBC Studios in 2018, Raia has been responsible for driving the licensing and consumer products strategies across BBC Studios’ portfolio of properties for the U.S., Canada, and Latin America. Overseeing a variety of intellectual properties, Raia’s purview includes product licensing across multiple genres, including factual and natural history content, drama series, science-fiction, and children’s animation. Prior to BBC Studios, Raia built her career over 19 years at Nickelodeon, where she most recently served as the Vice President of Partnerships & Collaborations within the Consumer Products division. In that role, Raia executed ground-breaking deals including Moschino X SpongeBob, Jeremy Scott X Ren & Stimpy, Story X Nick 90’s, TMNT X Melo (Carmelo Anthony), and SpongeBob(RED).  Raia also served as Vice President of Apparel & Accessories for over 10 years, tripling the business during her tenure with hit properties including SpongeBob SquarePants, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Paw Patrol, Dora the Explorer, Blue’s Clues, and more. Earlier in her career, she worked across a variety of categories which included activity, toy, back-to-school, stationery, and seasonal, with an expanded oversight across Viacom properties including Nickelodeon’s children’s portfolio, Comedy Central’s South Park, and Paramount’s The Godfather, Audrey Hepburn, and many more.

About BBC Studios
BBC Studios, a global content company with bold British creativity at its heart, is a commercial subsidiary of the BBC. Able to take an idea seamlessly from thought to screen and beyond, its activities span content financing, development, production, sales, branded services, and ancillaries across both its own productions and programs and formats made by high-quality UK independents. Award-winning British programs made by the business are internationally recognized across a broad range of genres and specializations, with brands like Dancing with the Stars/Strictly Come Dancing, Top Gear, Doctor Who, and Bluey. BBC Studios has offices in 20 markets globally, including ten production bases in the UK and production bases or partnerships in a further nine countries around the world. The company, which ordinarily makes around 2,000 hours of content a year for both the BBC and third parties including Apple, Netflix, and Migu, is a champion for British creativity around the world. It is also a committed partner for the UK’s independent sector through a mix of equity partnerships, content investment, and international distribution for program titles. To the BBC, BBC Studios contributes both cash dividends and funds for program-making, supporting the license fee and enhancing programs for UK audiences.

In the Americas, BBC Studios operates a diverse portfolio of businesses focused on bringing the best of British content to fans across the region. This includes joint ventures with AMC Networks for flagship channel BBC AMERICA (U.S.) and with ITV for SVoD service BritBox (U.S./Canada), as well as a strategic partnership in Canada with Blue Ant Media for channels BBC Earth and BBC First. In February 2021, BBC SELECT, an ad-free, digital streaming channel offering all-new documentaries across culture, politics, and ideas, launched in the U.S. and Canada on Amazon Prime Video Channels and the Apple TV app. BBC Studios also runs a robust linear and digital content sales and co-productions operation, as well as a franchise management business. In addition, BBC Studios operates one of its major scripted and unscripted production unit in Los Angeles, responsible the Emmy®-winning Dancing with the Stars, the multi-award-winning Life Below Zero, and the popular reboot of the classic quiz show Weakest Link, among others.