Endemol Shine-owned, youth-focused indie Initial has appointed Kate Stannard as head of development.

In her role, Stannard will be tasked with generating ideas, managing the development slate and working with creative directors Cat Lynch and Katy Manley to shepherd the company’s creative strategy and bring in new business. Additionally, she will be responsible for developing shows for a range of broadcasters and platforms. Initial recently announced its move towards non-scripted formats for 16-34s, with a focus on quiz and gameshow formats.

Stannard joins the company from Possessed TV, part of ITV Studios, where she served as head of entertainment, developing and producing such shows as Cash Trapped, 5 Gold Rings, Pick Me and the upcoming BBC1 series Catchpoint.

Her additional senior development positions include stints at BBC North and Monkey Kingdom where she co-created the quiz show, The Question Jury for Channel 4.

Initial’s current slate includes MTV’s aristocratic reality series The Royal World and the Warwick Davis hosted quiz show Tenable for ITV.