Fox Creator Studios Beefs Up Roster With Josh Richards, Emilia Hartford and More
Tony Maglio·2026-06-19·via The Hollywood Reporter
Fox wants to quietly program your YouTube algorithm. Today, it added more firepower.
Fox Entertainment’s Fox Creator Studios has beefed up its roster with Josh Richards (42 million followers), Emelia Hartford (8.2 million), Speeed Co (2.5 million), Sorted Food (3.4 million), MyHealthyDish (13 million), Mad Realities, and Christina Richardson, the company announced on Thursday. They join previously announced partnerships with Gordon Ramsay and comedian Tom Segura.
Billy Parks, the head of Fox Creator Studios, is on the hunt for the hottest new YouTube, Instagram and TikTok talent and formats. If you’ve got an audience and an idea, he’s got the cash — and a pretty experienced team behind him.
Parks is open for the pitching, so long as your pitch is data-backed and repeatable over eight to 20 episodes, he told The Hollywood Reporter. He’s not trying to take your stuff and throw it on Fox or Tubi — your existing channels will do just fine. As a matter of fact, Parks says he hasn’t even “really contemplated” that.
“We don’t develop them in the way that you might typically think a studio would develop a project,” Parks said. “We just say, ‘Great, go make it,’ and we finance them… we’re not a deep development shop.”
He’s also got you on creative support — if wanted. Fox may not be NBC, but it is something of a legacy media company.
“We’ve had creators come to us and be like, ‘We’re really interested in a game-show format,'” Parks said. “I’m like, ‘Hey, there’s four people down the hall that have 100 years of experience between them making game shows…”
So what does Fox get out of all of this? (Shared) IP ownership and a revenue split. Parks acknowledged the arrangement is “not for everybody.”
“Some creators want to own all of their IP on their channels, and that’s totally cool,” he said. “Godspeed to them — like, let them do it. Some creators are totally happy to partner in it, to have some capital, and to have support of our ad sales and distribution team… it can be a great, great partnership for the right creator.”
My Nguyen
Astrida Valigorsky/Getty Images
The below projects are already in active production and development:
Josh Richards (42 million followers) — One of the most influential Gen Z creators and entrepreneurs in media today. Through his company CrossCheck Studios and business partner Chris Sawtelle, Richards has built a powerful and inspiring direct relationship with young audiences that encompasses acting, production, original content development, and philanthropy. FCS and Richards are partnering on Seasons two and three of Read the Room, the breakout sketch comedy series that generated more than 60 million views in just four weeks with its fast-paced blend of absurd comedy, surprise cameos, original music, and creator-driven storytelling. Season two debuts in August.
Emelia Hartford (8.2 million followers) — One of the leading creators in the automotive and motorsports space, Hartford has built a highly engaged global audience through her unique blend of racing, car building, acting, and filmmaking. Her content has generated more than one billion views across platforms, establishing her as a leading voice in automotive culture and entertainment. Through her production company, Running Lean Productions, Hartford is expanding her creator business into premium original programming in partnership with FCS and producer Justin Killion of Bright Bay. Their first project, Hot Laps, is a celebrity interview and automotive series that pairs high-speed track driving with candid conversations featuring Hollywood stars, athletes, and cultural icons.
Speeed Co (3.5 million followers) — Featuring and produced by James Pumphrey, Zach Redpath, and Jesse Wood, Then vs. Now, is an entertaining and educational series comparing products, experiences, and cultural habits across generations to determine what improved, what declined, and what history got right.
Sorted Food (3.4 million followers) — In Bad Taste is a new comedy food entertainment format that turns a dinner party into a game of deception. As guests navigate a tasting menu packed with hidden surprises, they’ll need to bluff, accuse, and outwit one another to win the game. The Sorted Food partnership was part of the FCS launch announcement in January 2026, and now their first original series with the studio is in production. The creators behind Sorted Food are four childhood friends: Jamie Spafford, Barry Taylor, Mike Huttlestone, and Ben Ebbrell. Their mix of food expertise, friendship, and entertainment has built one of YouTube’s most successful food brands.
MyHealthyDish aka My Nguyen (13 million followers) — My Daughters: Cooked, a fun yet heartfelt family cooking series in which creator My Nguyen teaches her twin teenage daughters how to cook before they leave for college. It’s about learning life skills, entering new chapters of life, and of course delicious food. The series will be produced by Emmy Award winning Mike Duffy of YumCrunch.
Christina Richardson (scripted vertical franchise) — Following the breakout success of the first two seasons of Richardson’s independently produced series Besties, Fox Creator Studios will produce seasons three and four. Besties is one of the most promising emerging scripted vertical video franchises in the market today, which was created and is directed by Richardson. The series follows a group of friends navigating relationships, identity, ambition, and the challenges of adulthood, delivered through highly bingeable, mobile-native storytelling.
Mad Realities (leading social-first media company) — Co-founded and led by Alice Ma, Mad Realities incubates and launches new content across digital, emerging, traditional, and streaming platforms. Through its relationship with FCS, Mad Realities expands its content portfolio with two new formats: The Love Tank, a fast-paced dating series where singles compete in real time for a chance at romance, and Picky Eaters, a culinary competition hosted by rising food creator Mehreen Karim, where chefs battle to impress notoriously selective guests.
