Director, Unscripted Series
Shondaland, Inc, Los Angeles, CA, United States
GENERAL INFORMATION
JOB TITLE: Director, Unscripted Series
DEPARTMENT: Content – TV & Film
REPORTS TO: Chief Content Officer (CCO)
LOCATION: Los Angeles, CA
POSITION SUMMARY
Reporting to the Chief Content Officer, the Director of Unscripted Series will be responsible for advancing new scripted series projects through the Shondaland development pipeline with urgency, vision, awareness of the company’s global brand, and a keen sense of the shifting strategic landscape both at NFLX and across the industry. Duties will include mentoring team assistants and ensuring constant communication with executives within other departments at Shondaland to foster synergy.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
Development Pipeline: Act as sole creative development executive on projects the Creative Partner and CCO primarily drive, championing creative innovation, keeping alive momentum, and streamlining processes.
IP and Talent Scouting: Read stacks of scripts, books, articles, and graphic novels to find material worth adapting. Specifically target IP to present to high level writers in SL-aligned NFLX deals. Continually and inclusively research, read, meet, and build relationships with writers of all levels and directors, being mindful of both staffing and development opportunities. Attend screenings, plays and comedy shows to identify exciting new talent. Track books/rights inquiries and book-to-film/TV deals to assess if NFLX Series team should consider.
Project Pitches: Join VP, NFLX Series in hearing new ideas from producers, reps, writers and directors, evaluating which are worth the company’s investment. Bring VP specs and pitches/ideas that feel worth VP’s consideration. In success, support VP in driving forward that project.
Internal Presentations: Present regularly and in a timely manner on: talent to know; competitive programming; project status; incoming pitches, specs, and IP; your own original ideas; and strategies to move active projects forward. Demonstrate a clear understanding of what stories are best served by a limited series execution, vs those that have engines strong enough to sustain multiple seasons.
Gap Analysis: Identify what’s missing from the current lineup to generate brand expansion and further curate the company’s development slate.
OWAs/ODAs: Ensure reps/counterparts at agencies are completely up to date on the kinds of projects we are not only looking for but actively staffing/booking.
Creative Notes: For assigned projects in active development, generate and submit the first draft of producer notes on all written materials to CCO and, as asked, send edited draft to writer (this includes pitch docs, story areas, outlines, drafts). For projects in Season 1 rooms and beyond, generate and submit the first draft of producer notes on all written materials to VP or CCO (depending on project) and, as asked, send edited draft to writer (this includes pitch docs, story areas, outlines, drafts).
In Production: Review dailies each day to ensure the production is looking and feeling the way it was intended, flagging any issues immediately for VP or CCO (depending on the project). Cover set as needed and weigh in on casting of both series regulars and recurring guests, as asked.
In Post-Production: Generate a first draft of comprehensive, thoughtful notes on episode cuts independently or following internal discussion and send out an edited final draft to creator(s) and Shondaland team, as directed by VP.
Grow Brand Awareness: Build relationships with talent representatives and executives to earmark future potential business opportunities, and to continue growing Shondaland brand awareness.
Staffing: Assess evolving needs and identify key hiring ideas on assigned projects, including support staff/assistants for the writers’ rooms – always with an eye to inclusivity. Oversee assessment of samples and all supportive documents generated by Assistants on a project-by-project basis.
Director booking: Strategically recommend director ideas based on knowledge of greater TV/Film landscape and help create tentative calendar of episodic directors for the season and initiate deal-making – always with an eye to inclusivity.
Marketing and Publicity: Liaise with internal and external teams, as required, to ensure everyone is across the same game plan, timeline and messaging.
Ongoing Talent Recruitment: Remain in communication with Showrunners, Producing Directors, Executive Producers, Head of Production, Netflix, production staff, and external personnel to stay up-to-date on current talent feedback and word-of-mouth for potential new hires. Encourage Head of Creative Production and show Producing Directors to meet promising and diverse talent of all experience levels.
Synergy: Remain holistically mindful of the full scale and synergy of Shondaland, and make connections, recommendations, and pitch ideas interdepartmentally.
ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS and ABILITIES
Strong awareness of and appreciation for the Shondaland brand and mission
Experience working in drama and comedy television
Excellent strategic thinking
Exceptional verbal and written communication skills
Exceptional analysis, coverage and organizational abilities
Demonstrated ability to quickly develop internal and external relationships at all levels
Experience mentoring support staff
Ability to demonstrate extreme discretion and creative problem-solving on multiple projects simultaneously
Strong network of contacts at talent agencies and management companies
Familiarity with key pitch-building software.
Shondaland is an equal opportunity employer. We embrace the opportunity to build a workforce that reflects a wide array of perspectives, backgrounds and experiences. We take seriously our responsibility to consider qualified candidates on the basis of merit, without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, mental or physical disability, and genetic information, marital status, citizenship status, military status, protected veteran status, or any other category protected by law.
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JOB TITLE: Director, Unscripted Series
DEPARTMENT: Content – TV & Film
REPORTS TO: Chief Content Officer (CCO)
LOCATION: Los Angeles, CA
POSITION SUMMARY
Reporting to the Chief Content Officer, the Director of Unscripted Series will be responsible for advancing new scripted series projects through the Shondaland development pipeline with urgency, vision, awareness of the company’s global brand, and a keen sense of the shifting strategic landscape both at NFLX and across the industry. Duties will include mentoring team assistants and ensuring constant communication with executives within other departments at Shondaland to foster synergy.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
Development Pipeline: Act as sole creative development executive on projects the Creative Partner and CCO primarily drive, championing creative innovation, keeping alive momentum, and streamlining processes.
IP and Talent Scouting: Read stacks of scripts, books, articles, and graphic novels to find material worth adapting. Specifically target IP to present to high level writers in SL-aligned NFLX deals. Continually and inclusively research, read, meet, and build relationships with writers of all levels and directors, being mindful of both staffing and development opportunities. Attend screenings, plays and comedy shows to identify exciting new talent. Track books/rights inquiries and book-to-film/TV deals to assess if NFLX Series team should consider.
Project Pitches: Join VP, NFLX Series in hearing new ideas from producers, reps, writers and directors, evaluating which are worth the company’s investment. Bring VP specs and pitches/ideas that feel worth VP’s consideration. In success, support VP in driving forward that project.
Internal Presentations: Present regularly and in a timely manner on: talent to know; competitive programming; project status; incoming pitches, specs, and IP; your own original ideas; and strategies to move active projects forward. Demonstrate a clear understanding of what stories are best served by a limited series execution, vs those that have engines strong enough to sustain multiple seasons.
Gap Analysis: Identify what’s missing from the current lineup to generate brand expansion and further curate the company’s development slate.
OWAs/ODAs: Ensure reps/counterparts at agencies are completely up to date on the kinds of projects we are not only looking for but actively staffing/booking.
Creative Notes: For assigned projects in active development, generate and submit the first draft of producer notes on all written materials to CCO and, as asked, send edited draft to writer (this includes pitch docs, story areas, outlines, drafts). For projects in Season 1 rooms and beyond, generate and submit the first draft of producer notes on all written materials to VP or CCO (depending on project) and, as asked, send edited draft to writer (this includes pitch docs, story areas, outlines, drafts).
In Production: Review dailies each day to ensure the production is looking and feeling the way it was intended, flagging any issues immediately for VP or CCO (depending on the project). Cover set as needed and weigh in on casting of both series regulars and recurring guests, as asked.
In Post-Production: Generate a first draft of comprehensive, thoughtful notes on episode cuts independently or following internal discussion and send out an edited final draft to creator(s) and Shondaland team, as directed by VP.
Grow Brand Awareness: Build relationships with talent representatives and executives to earmark future potential business opportunities, and to continue growing Shondaland brand awareness.
Staffing: Assess evolving needs and identify key hiring ideas on assigned projects, including support staff/assistants for the writers’ rooms – always with an eye to inclusivity. Oversee assessment of samples and all supportive documents generated by Assistants on a project-by-project basis.
Director booking: Strategically recommend director ideas based on knowledge of greater TV/Film landscape and help create tentative calendar of episodic directors for the season and initiate deal-making – always with an eye to inclusivity.
Marketing and Publicity: Liaise with internal and external teams, as required, to ensure everyone is across the same game plan, timeline and messaging.
Ongoing Talent Recruitment: Remain in communication with Showrunners, Producing Directors, Executive Producers, Head of Production, Netflix, production staff, and external personnel to stay up-to-date on current talent feedback and word-of-mouth for potential new hires. Encourage Head of Creative Production and show Producing Directors to meet promising and diverse talent of all experience levels.
Synergy: Remain holistically mindful of the full scale and synergy of Shondaland, and make connections, recommendations, and pitch ideas interdepartmentally.
ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS and ABILITIES
Strong awareness of and appreciation for the Shondaland brand and mission
Experience working in drama and comedy television
Excellent strategic thinking
Exceptional verbal and written communication skills
Exceptional analysis, coverage and organizational abilities
Demonstrated ability to quickly develop internal and external relationships at all levels
Experience mentoring support staff
Ability to demonstrate extreme discretion and creative problem-solving on multiple projects simultaneously
Strong network of contacts at talent agencies and management companies
Familiarity with key pitch-building software.
Shondaland is an equal opportunity employer. We embrace the opportunity to build a workforce that reflects a wide array of perspectives, backgrounds and experiences. We take seriously our responsibility to consider qualified candidates on the basis of merit, without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, mental or physical disability, and genetic information, marital status, citizenship status, military status, protected veteran status, or any other category protected by law.
#J-18808-Ljbffr