FOX is expanding FOX Creator Studios with two senior executives responsible for creator partnerships, strategic growth and commercial development. Bryan Thoensen joins from TikTok, while Kirsten McAuliffe brings experience from Moonbug Entertainment and Warner Bros. Discovery, adding leadership as FOX develops creator-led content and entertainment franchises.
Key Takeaways
- FOX expanded FOX Creator Studios with two senior vice president appointments.
- Bryan Thoensen was named senior vice president of content partnerships.
- Kirsten McAuliffe was named senior vice president of strategic partnerships and growth.
- Thoensen will work on creator-led content franchises and partnerships.
- McAuliffe will oversee revenue development, advertiser partnerships and commercial strategy.
FOX Creator Studios Adds Two Senior Executives
FOX has appointed Bryan Thoensen and Kirsten McAuliffe to senior vice president roles at FOX Creator Studios, expanding the unit’s leadership across creator partnerships, content development, strategic growth and commercial activities.
Thoensen was named senior vice president of content partnerships. McAuliffe was named senior vice president of strategic partnerships and growth. Their responsibilities cover separate areas of the studio’s creator-focused operations.
The two executives bring experience from companies involved in social media, digital entertainment and media. Thoensen joins FOX from TikTok, while McAuliffe has held roles at Moonbug Entertainment and Warner Bros. Discovery.
FOX Creator Studios is focused on developing creator-led entertainment and content franchises. The expanded leadership structure places content partnerships and commercial growth under dedicated executives.
The appointments come as creator companies establish increasingly substantial production operations of their own. Creator studios expand production operations, including facilities operated by companies such as Smosh, Mythical Entertainment and Dhar Mann Studios.
Bryan Thoensen Takes Charge of Content Partnerships
Thoensen joins FOX Creator Studios after working at TikTok, where his experience included content partnerships. At FOX, he will work with creators and partners on creator-led content franchises.
His responsibilities place creator relationships at the center of the studio’s content work. The role covers partnerships connected to the development of entertainment built around creators and their content.
Creator-led franchises are a stated focus for FOX Creator Studios. Thoensen’s appointment gives the studio an executive specifically responsible for the partnerships supporting that work.
His previous experience at TikTok also connects the studio’s content operation with a major social-media platform. The move brings experience in creator partnerships into FOX’s creator-focused entertainment business.
The content partnerships role is distinct from the studio’s commercial responsibilities. While Thoensen will concentrate on creators and content franchises, McAuliffe will lead strategic partnerships and growth.
FOX has therefore divided the expanded leadership responsibilities between content development and commercial strategy. The structure gives each area a dedicated senior executive.
Thoensen’s work will include relationships with creators as FOX develops creator-led entertainment. Those partnerships form part of the studio’s stated focus on building creator content into longer-term entertainment franchises.
The move also follows increased attention from established entertainment companies toward creators working in longer-form formats. YouTube creators enter Hollywood filmmaking, with creator-led projects reaching feature-film audiences and connecting online creators with traditional production.
Kirsten McAuliffe Leads Strategic Growth
McAuliffe was named senior vice president of strategic partnerships and growth at FOX Creator Studios. Her responsibilities include revenue development, advertiser partnerships and commercial strategy.
Her previous experience includes roles at Moonbug Entertainment and Warner Bros. Discovery. Both companies have operated across entertainment and media, giving McAuliffe experience relevant to the commercial side of FOX Creator Studios.
At FOX, her role is focused on developing business opportunities connected to the studio’s creator activities. Revenue development forms a central part of her responsibilities.
Advertiser partnerships are also included in McAuliffe’s remit. Her position therefore connects creator-led content with commercial relationships involving advertisers.
The two roles cover separate functions within the studio. Thoensen will handle content partnerships, while McAuliffe will lead strategic partnerships and growth.
McAuliffe’s responsibilities also include strategic partnerships and growth. Those duties place commercial development within the leadership structure of FOX Creator Studios rather than treating creator content solely as a content-development function.
The appointment gives FOX a senior executive dedicated to revenue and advertiser relationships within its creator-focused operation.
Creator-led advertising has also become a distinct part of digital production. Creator-produced advertising campaigns have included campaigns in which creators supplied footage for national advertising across television and social platforms.
Creator-Led Content Franchises Form a Core Studio Focus
FOX Creator Studios is developing creator-led content and entertainment franchises as part of its creator-focused business. The studio’s work centers on creating entertainment opportunities around creators rather than limiting its activities to individual creator partnerships.
The content-franchise focus is assigned to Thoensen through his senior vice president role in content partnerships. His responsibilities include working with creators and partners connected to the development of those franchises.
Creator-led entertainment also provides the central connection between FOX’s content activities and its creator business. The studio is positioned around developing creator content into entertainment properties.
The leadership appointments establish separate responsibilities for the content and commercial sides of that work. Thoensen will handle content partnerships, while McAuliffe will manage strategic partnerships and growth.
The structure also connects creator relationships with commercial development. Advertiser partnerships and revenue development fall within McAuliffe’s role, while creator partnerships and content franchises fall within Thoensen’s.
FOX’s creator operation therefore includes both content development and commercial responsibilities. The two senior appointments cover those functions within FOX Creator Studios.
The focus on creator-led entertainment also places creators within a broader content-development structure at FOX. The studio’s stated activities include developing entertainment franchises connected to creator content and partnerships.
FOX Expands Commercial Opportunities Around Creator IP
FOX Creator Studios is pairing creator content development with commercial responsibilities under its expanded leadership team. McAuliffe’s role includes revenue development and advertiser partnerships, while Thoensen’s position covers creator content partnerships.
The two areas are connected through the studio’s work on creator-led entertainment. Content partnerships provide the creator relationships and content development, while strategic growth responsibilities address commercial opportunities.
McAuliffe’s experience at Moonbug Entertainment and Warner Bros. Discovery adds media-industry experience to the commercial leadership of the studio. Thoensen’s previous role at TikTok adds experience in creator content partnerships.
The appointments also give FOX Creator Studios dedicated leadership across its creator-focused activities. Rather than assigning the responsibilities to one executive, FOX has established separate senior vice president roles for content partnerships and strategic growth.
Revenue development and advertiser partnerships are specifically assigned to McAuliffe. Her position therefore covers the commercial side of creator-led entertainment at the studio.
Thoensen’s role remains centered on creator content and partnerships. His work includes the development of creator-led content franchises, keeping creator relationships within the studio’s content operation.
The combined responsibilities establish a structure covering creators, content, advertisers and commercial development. FOX Creator Studios is using the two appointments to expand its leadership across those areas.
The studio’s creator-focused work is organized around both entertainment development and business development. Thoensen and McAuliffe have separate mandates within that structure, with their roles covering the primary content and commercial functions described by FOX.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is FOX Creator Studios?
FOX Creator Studios is a FOX unit focused on creator-led content and entertainment franchises. Its activities include creator partnerships and commercial development connected to creator-led entertainment.
Who joined FOX Creator Studios in October 2026?
Bryan Thoensen and Kirsten McAuliffe joined the expanded leadership team. Thoensen became senior vice president of content partnerships, while McAuliffe became senior vice president of strategic partnerships and growth.
What role does Bryan Thoensen have at FOX Creator Studios?
Thoensen serves as senior vice president of content partnerships. His responsibilities include working on creator partnerships and creator-led content franchises.
What role does Kirsten McAuliffe have at FOX Creator Studios?
McAuliffe serves as senior vice president of strategic partnerships and growth. Her responsibilities include revenue development, advertiser partnerships and commercial strategy.
What type of creator content is FOX Creator Studios developing?
FOX Creator Studios is developing creator-led content and entertainment franchises. The studio’s leadership structure includes dedicated responsibilities for creator content partnerships as well as commercial growth.
