Benson named as director of MediaGuardian Edinburgh Television Festival
Louise Benson has been appointed at the new director of the MediaGuardian Edinburgh Television Festival.
Benson, who joins from Emap Networks where she was media events director, with responsibility for all of Emap’s media conferences, will take up the role of Festival Director on 31 January, replacing Amy Brown who has moved to work at events with Google.
The role will see Benson work closely with Elaine Bedell, the ITV director of entertainment and comedy and executive chair of the Festival, as well as George Entwistle, the BBC controller of knowledge commissioning, and advisory chair for next year’s festival.
Benson spent seven years at Emap, and has also held the role of event director for the World Architecture Festival.
Elaine Bedell commented: “I’m delighted that Louise is joining the Edinburgh Television Festival. She’s well-known already to many in the media industry and understands the key issues facing the TV sector. She’s absolutely the right person to help us take the festival forward over the next few years, and is full of enthusiasm and energy to make it more international, more relevant and inspiring.”