Independent Talent Group, the London-based agency whose roster includes Daniel Craig, Anthony Hopkins, Sophie Turner and Phoebe Waller-Bridge, has launched a new creative division called Independent Talent Studio. Leading it will be Deborah Turness, the former head of BBC News and Current Affairs, according to Variety.
The studio’s mandate is broad. It will work with ITG’s clients to build ‘original media brands, franchises and intellectual property’ across video, podcasts, social media, newsletters and live events, positioning the agency to compete in what is often called the creator economy, the growing business of individual personalities building direct audiences outside traditional media companies.
A high-profile exit from the BBC
Turness’s move to ITG comes roughly a year after she left the BBC in the middle of one of the corporation’s most damaging editorial controversies in recent memory. She announced her departure on 9 November 2025 following criticism over a Panorama documentary that had edited a speech by Donald Trump in a way critics said was misleading. The row also prompted the exit of BBC Director General Tim Davie and led Trump to sue the broadcaster.
Before joining the BBC, Turness had a long career in broadcast journalism. She was editor of ITV News from 2004 to 2013, becoming the UK’s first female editor of television news, before moving to the United States as President of NBC News from 2013 to 2017. She later returned to Britain to run ITN, the production company behind ITV News and Channel 4 News, before taking the top job at BBC News in 2022.
Betting on ‘creator journalism’
Turness has been publicly outspoken about the shift she now hopes to capitalise on commercially. In a May 2026 speech in London, reported by the Nieman Journalism Lab, she argued that what she calls ‘creator journalism’ represents the most disruptive shift the news industry has faced.
I believe the established media hasn’t confronted the hard truth that this revolution isn’t just about consumers moving to different platforms. It’s that they are choosing more direct forms of journalism in a more fragmented media universe.
That thesis appears to underpin her new role. ‘We are living through an extraordinary transfer of creative power, where time, trust and commercial revenues are moving from institutions to individuals,’ Turness said, according to Variety. ‘I am immensely excited to be joining Independent Talent Group to build a studio where a broad range of talent can deepen connections with audiences and build their brands.’
Sally Long Innes, ITG’s chief executive, framed the studio as a natural extension of the agency’s traditional work representing actors and writers. ‘The way our clients can build audiences, create ideas and ultimately own businesses is changing incredibly quickly,’ she said. ITG is chaired by veteran agent Duncan Heath.
Independent has always been built around exceptional creative talent and the belief that our job is to help that talent realize its ambitions.
For now, ITG has not detailed specific projects or timelines for the studio, and it remains to be seen how quickly the venture will produce tangible media brands or franchises. But the appointment marks a striking pivot for Turness, from running one of the world’s most established public broadcasters to building commercial ventures around individual talent, a shift that mirrors wider tensions between legacy news institutions and the creator-driven platforms increasingly competing with them for audiences.
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