BBC Studios – America announced 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.
BBC Studios chief commercial officer Tara Maitra said, “Bluey has quickly grown to become a favourite 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.”
Raia said, “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 six-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 and collaborations within the consumer products division. In that role, Raia executed ground-breaking deals including Moschino X SpongeBob, Jeremy Scott X Ren and Stimpy, Story X Nick 90’s, TMNT X Melo (Carmelo Anthony), and SpongeBob (RED).
Raia also served as vice president of apparel and 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.