SVP, Development
Description
The Role
WildBrain is look for an SVP, Development (12-Month Maternity Leave Contract).
The SVP of Development is responsible for overseeing the development of
WildBrain’s diverse slate of original animation and live action IP and expanding
our existing brands. WildBrain’s slate covers multi-genre from preschool to
family programming and appeals to domestic and international buyers. A key
focus of the slate is building properties to become strong brands and activate
the expertise of each division across the company to create successful
franchises. Creative excellence will be achieved by working in close
collaboration with the Chief Content Officer to ensure all divisions within
WildBrain are active across our key development initiatives.
The SVP of Development has the responsibility of inspiring and guiding the
development team to achieve creative excellence, continuously innovate and
maintain deadlines and goals for a slate of 35+ projects. Strong relationships
within the television industry are a must including; broadcast executives,
artists, showrunners, coproduction partners, etc. while forging new
relationships within the creative community to ensure our slate remains
innovative, timely and commercial.
This role is open to candidates located in Toronto, Vancouver, LA or New York.
Find a job that lets your imagination run wild!
WildBrain is made up of a team of innovators and creators who bring
industry-leading kids’ content and brands to families globally. We inspire
imagination, put creativity first, and believe in the power of storytelling. We
are constantly connecting the powers of our global team, making WildBrain a
collaborative, openminded and passionate environment to work in.
To work at WildBrain means you get to create stories that lets imaginations run
wild. Join our team today to become part of the story!
Responsibilities
- Manage the animation and live action development team to build a creative and
diverse slate across multiple genres and demographics
- Oversee the casting of key talent on each project
- Ensure both the animation and live action development slates hit short and
long-term goals, and clear priorities are set for the day to day team to achieve
- Expand the overall slate through traditional and non-traditional sources
- Liaise between Partners, Producers / Executive Producers, Network Executives
and Creators/Showrunners on each project, as needed with the day-to-day lead
dev executive on the project to ensure a smooth and positive development
process for all involved
- Communicate with domestic and international broadcasters regularly, alongside
the distribution team
- Pitch the slate internally across all divisions and provide key updates
frequently
- Pitch the slate externally to buyers and potential partners, ability to
comfortably pitch is essential
- Oversee projects with lead development executive and SVP of Creative and
Production as they move into production to ensure a smooth hand off to the
production team and creative leads on the project
- Communicate with SVP of Creative and Animation Production regularly to ensure
studio timelines and goals are clear and discuss innovative approaches to
visual development
- Collaborate with SVP of Creative and Animation Production on all trailers and
specific initiatives/projects
- Oversee freelance development executives on Feature initiatives
- Attend major television markets (Mipcom, Kidscreen)
- Lead and provide creative feedback on key stages throughout the development
process and attend all major partnership meetings
Qualifications
- A creative individual with a track record developing kids and family
television series with commercial appeal and strong understanding of the
business overall (how shows get financed, how to lead a large team, work within
a 1000+ person organization, etc.).
- Extensive contacts within the production and broadcast industry
- Proven leadership ability and confidence to inspire a team to keep pushing
for excellence
-
10+ years’ experience developing and executive producing Kids and Family Content
- The confidence to believe in your gut reaction to a project and fight for it,
and ultimately a love for what we’re making, kids and family tv!!!
Personal Characteristics
- A team player, personable and an ability to work effectively within a small
and larger team
- A leader who is able to manage up and manage down equally well
- A relationship builder, patient and assertive, with a strong creative vision
and orientation
What We Offer:
Working at WildBrain is more than a job — it’s the opportunity to join forces
with extraordinary, insightful and imaginative people who will recognize your
talents and encourage your professional growth and development in a work
environment that promotes creativity and individuality. We offer competitive
family-focused benefits, we invest in our people and their future with generous
RRSP matching, plus bonus time-off, because you deserve it!
Our Commitment:
Diversity and Inclusion are in our DNA. As a global leader in kids and family
entertainment, we strive to reflect and honour the diversity of our audiences
around the world. We believe that creating diverse and inclusive content &
brands begins with fostering a culture of belonging at WildBrain. To us, a
culture of belonging is one where we celebrate and welcome the diversity of all
employees, stakeholders, and external partners and strive to create an
environment where every individual feels valued, respected, and brings their
authentic self to work.
We demonstrate our commitment to this by striving to provide a supportive work
environment and a corporate culture that welcomes and encourages equal
opportunities for all employees. We recognize that people bring experience and
talent that goes beyond the technical skills and requirements of a job. If you
possess similar experience that is close to what we’ve listed here, we
encourage you to please still consider applying. We strongly believe that
diverse experience, transferable skills, and passion are key! WildBrain
accommodates people with disabilities throughout the recruitment and selection
process. Applicants are encouraged to make their needs known in advance if
accommodation is required.
About WildBrain:
At WildBrain we make great content for kids and families. With approximately
13,000 half-hours of filmed entertainment in our library – one of the world’s
most extensive – we are home to such brands as Peanuts, Teletubbies, Strawberry
Shortcake, Caillou, Inspector Gadget, Johnny Test and Degrassi. Our shows are
seen in more than 150 countries on over 500 telecasters and streaming
platforms. WildBrain’s portfolio spans all areas of the entertainment industry:
WildBrain Studios, where we develop and produce hit animated and live actions
series; WildBrain Television, which is composed of prominent kids’ television
channels in Canada (Family Channel, Family CHRGD, Family Jr. and Télémagino);
home to Peanuts Worldwide; brand management to some of the world’s most-loved
kids brands; celebrated global licensing and distribution teams with WildBrain
CPLG, and a leading children’s YouTube network in WildBrain Spark, one of the
largest networks of kids’ channels on YouTube, with over 168 million
subscribers.
WildBrain is headquartered in Canada with offices worldwide and trades on the
Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: WILD). Visit wildbrain.com to learn more!