Since December 2023, James McKnight has served as Chief Executive Officer of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Group. James has led the restructure, refocus and rebrand of the company into its next phase, LW Entertainment.
James’ leadership experience includes seven years as Chief Creative Officer for the Harry Potter franchise where he worked on the development of all categories of entertainment including film & television, theatre, experiences, interactive, publishing and consumer products. Prior to his current role, James served as Executive Creative Director at PopHouse Entertainment.
As Chief Creative Officer, and representing J.K. Rowling, James oversaw the most significant period of commercial growth and expansion of the Harry Potter franchise collaborating with Warner Bros., book publishers, theatre producers and wider franchise partners around the world.
Specifically, and working closely with J.K. Rowling on the content and brand strategy, James partnered with the Warner Bros Games team to develop the concept for the multi-billion-dollar Portkey Games, on which the record-breaking Hogwarts Legacy was born.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, James and his team developed and produced the iconic and award-winning ‘Harry Potter at Home’ global campaign. Launched within 4 weeks of conception, this project went on to engage an audience of over 20 million, working with a network of partners and collaborators around the world.
James started his career over 20 years ago in book publishing as a graphic designer, moving into product and experience development and eventually into creative and franchise strategy. James firmly believes in the power of strong creative strategy to underpin and fuel successful business and commercial strategy in entertainment.
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