Tilly Norwood AI talent studio Xicoia – founded by Particle6 CEO Eline van der Velden – has made its first major hire, bringing in former Amazon Prime Video executive Mark Whelan as Head of Strategy and Operations.
Whelan will work with CEO and creative lead van der Velden to ramp up the business, beginning with the rapid expansion of AI actor Tilly Norwood and the launch of the Tillyverse, an evolving digital universe where Tilly and a new generation of AI characters will live, collaborate, and build careers. The Tillyverse is set to launch later this year.
Announced last year, AI creation Tilly Norwood caused a media storm after news emerged that the character was set to sign with a Hollywood agency.
Whelan joins from Amazon Prime Video, where he led its social expansion across numerous territories and spent six years shaping EU-wide social strategy for major brands including The Grand Tour and Clarkson’s Farm.
Before Amazon, he was a Comedy Producer at Third Leg Studios. His background also includes senior video roles at Hollabox, Culture Trip, and Your Life, as well as an early development role at Objective Productions. Whelan also had a previous short stint as a Producer at Xicoia’s sister company, Particle6 Productions.
Van der Velden said: “Mark is a brilliant storyteller with a rare skillset, and I couldn’t be more excited to have him join Xicoia. He understands comedy, character-building, AI, audience behaviour, and digital culture – which is exactly what Tilly – and the wider business – needs at this stage.
“Together, we’re building something entirely new. Tilly Norwood isn’t just an AI character – she’s a personality, a brand, and a future global superstar with a compelling narrative arc. Mark will help us craft and shape every layer of her world, from her humour, daily life, and career choices to how she interacts with fans across various platforms. It all promises to be bold, playful, a little chaotic – and impossible to ignore.”
Whelan added: “Becoming a lead architect of the Tillyverse is genuinely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. AI is evolving at breathtaking speed, and combining cutting-edge tech with ambitious creative thinking means we’re not following an industry playbook at Xicoia – we are writing it.
“Tilly already has the momentum, an audience, and the cultural spark. Now we’re writing her story and building her universe. It’s a huge responsibility – but an incredibly exciting one. I think the world is going to have a lot of fun watching what happens next.”
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