BBC Studios has hired Robin Gay (pictured) as brand and marketing director for preschool property Bluey. 

Based in London, he stepped into the role this month and reports to Harriet Newby-Hill, the VP of marketing at BBC Kids & Family. Gay is no stranger to managing powerhouse kids IPs, most recently spending two years at eOne as the VP of global brand strategy and management for Peppa Pig.

In his new role at BBC Studios, he is charged with implementing a global strategy for Bluey to drive L&M growth, working with regional licensing teams to strengthen the Aussie brand’s global presence. The aim is to build on Bluey’s instrumental role in increasing BBC Studios’ consumer products revenue by 10% year over year, as noted in its July 2023 financial report.

Gay brings more than 25 years of experience and a kids industry-heavy resumé to the powerhouse brand from Down Under. His previous stints include senior marketing roles with WarnerMedia and NBCUniversal. He also spent nine years (2004 to 2013) at The Walt Disney Company EMEA, managing franchises such as Mickey Mouse & Friends and Winnie The Pooh.

Hailing from Brisbane-based Ludo Studio, Bluey (151 x seven minutes) debuted in 2018 and quickly rose to prominence with a premise about an imaginative and playful Blue Heeler puppy and her family. It ranked as the second most-streamed series in the US last year, with nearly 44 billion minutes viewed, according to Nielsen.

The show, which is available on ABC Australia, BBC, Disney+ (across various international territories) and other platforms, expanded into the Middle East for the first time after BBC Studios Kids & Family signed a deal last November with Spacetoon. The pan-Arab company will begin airing the show this year on its Spacetoon Kids channel, while also managing regional licensing through its Spacetoon International Agent subsidiary.

And Bluey shows no signs of slowing its roll. BBC Studios and Ludo have just launched a new 10 x five-minute digital series titled Bluey Book Reads on the brand’s official YouTube channel (5.15 million subscribers). The format features celebrity guests reading Bluey books, with the first ep—starring Australian pop star siblings Kylie and Dannii Minogue—rolling out today.