Development Director, Original Content

Job Description

Responsibilities

The Development Director role is a unique opportunity in the London based Original Content team. The role works across key International markets to identify new development and production opportunities from conception through to completion, providing necessary management over the creative and commercial demands of the project. This role reports into the VP of A&R, Development and Content Partnerships – Original Content.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Overall, this role is key in identifying today the opportunities that will form the backbone of Content Group's slate in the future. They are primarily responsible for identifying and/or developing new talent focused stories and ideas that will make successful content . They will liaise closely with internal and external stakeholders to develop content to enable the company to greenlight projects to a wide multi-platform audience.
• Actively engage in the search of new IP/ideas and business opportunities in line with our content verticals. The role will predominantly focus on the development of Feature Documentary and Series
• Responsible for identifying and exploring the underlying premise and narrative of a project, from initial research to defining concepts to creating treatments and pitches tailored to audiences including talent, agents, creatives, external and internal distribution stakeholders
• Critically evaluate ideas and treatments and provide insightful critique and recommendations
• Actively manage the development slate of projects to ensure a continued pipeline of content
• Secure necessary rights, propose potential creative teams, produce the development budget and supervise the development process ensuring the subsequent delivery of the material necessary to greenlight the project.
• Source, develop, secure, and maintain good relationships with film making talent via liaising with agents, keeping abreast of industry and world news, having a good network of contacts across writers, directors, producers, etc.
• Work closely with the Distribution and Content Strategy team to monitor market trends and proactively identify commercial opportunities for internal stakeholders to pick up (e.g. DTO projects, SVOD for key genres, etc.)

Qualifications
• Understand changing audience taste and have a passion for content with experience in varied genres
• Enthusiastic about the Content Group brand
• A proven track record of developing documentary features and series
• Strong commercial acumen including prior experience interrogating financials and effectively budgeting for developments and productions
• Excellent contacts and knowledge in the industry with established relationships with major talent agencies, including an extensive producer, director and production house network
• Understand changing audience taste as well as sound understanding and knowledge of the major content providers and key local players in the industry
• An enthusiasm for and interest in popular entertainment.
• A passion for documentaries, special interest and kids and family content
• An understanding of and the ability to interpret editorial intentions and to contribute to the generation of ideas
• Dynamic and outgoing with strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to work across functions at all levels within the organisation and externally.
• Entrepreneurial mind-set – flexible, discreet and good at problem solving
• Excellent communications skills – ability to lead constructive dialogue with sensitivity and tact
• Ability to operate flexibly to work as a member of a small team and to manage a variable workload
• Ability to work unsupervised, exercising initiative and assessing priorities but referring issues upwards where appropriate
• Resilience and stamina to sustain performance when under pressure from tight schedules and conflicting priorities
• Excellent project management skills – able to prioritise, strong organisational skills, set a critical path, manage complex stakeholder networks across a large number of projects within challenging deadlines
• • Consumer-centric mind-set - understands motivations and identifies and utilises market trends to influence potential ideas
• Comprehensive understanding of demographics as it relates to content and how it is digested
• Excellent influencing skills
• Confident and credible presenter, able to present to large and diverse groups
• Ability to work independently as an 'in-house indie' within a 'big studio' environment

Additional Information

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Jobcode: Reference SBJ-gw1xmp-3-145-156-250-42 in your application.