Fox Television Network has named Sophie Leonard, the creator of the series “Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test,” as its new executive vice president of unscripted, TheWrap has learned. This appointment comes after Yasmin Rawji, who previously held the position, exited the network earlier this year.
Leonard will report to Michael Thorn, president of Fox Television Network. In her new role, Leonard will lead creative strategy, development and production across Fox’s unscripted portfolio. She will also work closely with internal teams and creative partners to both build premium formats and large-scale franchises that are designed to appeal to broad audiences and travel globally. Looking forward, the network’s unscripted pipeline will focus on scalable competition formats, social experiments and event series that can extend across platforms.
Prior to joining the executive ranks at Fox, Leonard was the driving force behind “Special Forces,” the competition reality show that premiered in 2023 and asks contestants to face elements from the United States Special Forces selection course. She also executive produced the docuseries “Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action” as well as “Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal.”
“Sophie is an exceptional creative leader with fearless instincts, global perspective and a proven ability to deliver bold, high-impact unscripted entertainment,” said Michael Thorn, president of Fox Television Network. “As one of the creators and executive producers behind ‘Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test,’ her impact on the series is as undeniable as the many ambitious ideas she’s introduced through our partnership, and in her new role, we’ll build on that collaborative moment as we deliver on our unscripted strategy and continue to grow the Fox brand.”
“Joining Fox in this role is an extraordinary opportunity,” said Leonard. “What Rob, Michael and the team have built is genuinely one of the most exciting growth stories anywhere in the television business right now. The scale of ambition, creative freedom and the speed at which Fox is moving is incredibly energizing. I’m thrilled to bring my experience across the Atlantic, deepen the relationships we’ve already built and work with the extraordinary producers and partners here in the U.S. and around the world to develop bold, Fox-worthy unscripted programming that truly travels.”
Leonard will be coming to Fox from Samphire Films, the production company she co-founded in 2024. At Samphire she served as Creative Director and launched several unscripted and documentary projects across the U.S. and U.K., including several projects in development for Fox. Before that, Leonard served as the creative director at Minnow Films.
