Hot Shots 2022: Rebecca Hewett-Farmer

Rebecca Hewett-Farmer has the enviable accolade of each of her five most recent productions earning Broadcast Digital Award nominations – two of which translated into wins.

The victorious pair of Comedy Central shows illustrate her mission to champion diversity and tell under-represented stories: transgender comedian Jordan Gray’s online sitcom Transaction and Drunk History: Black Stories, a variant of the comedy history format that celebrated black heroes throughout the ages.

Hewett-Farmer has carved out this niche since producing Rosie Tries To Help, a Comedy Central short featuring comic Rosie Jones. The producer continues this drive with her most recent sketch show, East Mode With Nigel Ng, which employs a majority East and South-East Asian cast and crew.

“Rebecca doesn’t shy away from difficult topics and uses comedy to have the tough conversations,” says Craig Orr, vice-president of original content and development at Paramount International. “She creates content that is funny and has a real eye for high production value.”

Orr says Hewett-Farmer’s ambition for championing under-represented voices has “skyrocketed” recently. “In the past couple of years, Rebecca has curated and grown an emerging talent slate, successfully introducing Paramount to incredible talent like Catfish UK’s Nella Rose.

“Vibrant, dynamic and a champion of diversity and inclusion, Rebecca creates hits with authentic storytelling at their core. She approaches everything with positivity and has a huge amount optimism for the future of programming.”