Development Executive, Comedy; Scripted Content (English Services)

CBC/Radio-Canada • Toronto, ON

7d • Onsite

About The Position

CBC’s Scripted Content division is home to high-impact, award-winning Canadian comedies, dramas, and feature films. This is a role for someone who wants to grow their creative skills and apply those skills to help shape original, high-quality, Canadian comedy content. It is a position that relies heavily on creativity, initiative, and comedic sensibility. Not only does the executive need to have an eye for talent and ability to recognize fresh, surprising ideas that fit the CBC strategy, but they must understand the actionable steps required to successfully build compelling series. Under the direction of CBC’s Director of Development, Comedy, they will play a pivotal role in the ongoing collaborative evaluation of pitches, initiation of new development projects, and creative management of series throughout the development cycle, while also representing and conveying CBC’s creative interests to the independent production community.

Requirements

• University degree or equivalent.
• 5 years relevant experience (includes internships, job shadowing and learning spaces - e.g. BIPOC workshops).
• Strong knowledge and understanding of, and/or connection to underrepresented communities across Canada is key.
• Cultural awareness and sensitivity.
• Ability to source, track, and evaluate incoming pitches, scripted material, and creative intellectual property.
• High level of creativity required.
• Must be able to provide imaginative and effective suggestions and input on scripts.
• Decision making in these areas requires instinct and intuition, as well as knowledge.
• Must read and absorb high volumes of material.
• Requires constant juggling of a large number of projects at various stages.
• Must have exceptional communication and interpersonal skills to engage with a very wide range of individuals – producers, writers, directors, comedians, and other creative personnel – diplomatically and effectively, bearing in mind the sensitivity of creative issues, especially in the rushed and often stressful environment of television development.
• Must be accomplished at providing detailed and comprehensive written correspondence on a daily basis.
• Must be able to generate and sustain relationships with both experienced and emerging creators.
• Understands screenwriting and post-production techniques in order to generate clear and effective notes.
• Knowledge of content and industry trends related to Comedy series programming, in Canada and around the world.
• Knowledge of creative personnel: e.g. Canadian screenwriters and potential screenwriters, stand up comedians, content creators, actors, story editors, directors, producers, editors, etc. in order to make recommendations to producers and the Director of Development, Comedy.
• Knowledge of CBC creative mandates and audience targets; in order to evaluate potential and ongoing projects and advise the Director of Development, Comedy accordingly
• Ability to work within a complex organization that requires both initiative and flexibility.
• Must be able to speak effectively at meetings and some public functions such as press conferences, professional juries and seminars, etc.
• Must maintain cordial and productive working relationships with colleagues both inside the Corporation and outside companies.
• Must represent the CBC in a courteous and informed fashion, e.g. when explaining the basics of the television industry or CBC creative policies to members of the public who call to pitch an idea, etc.

Responsibilities

• Evaluates pitch and development materials in terms of their creative strengths, relevance, series design qualities; overall "doability" (producer, writers, cast, key crew, budget); ability to draw audiences (including new viewers) to prime time slots and CBC Gem; their related cost factors and the potential creative risks and reward.
• Collaborates with the development team to negotiate creative changes with producers, screenwriters, and story executives.
• Writing creative notes that express strengths and weaknesses in a constructive way for pitches, scripts and bible or format documents based on core story elements, and crucially – humour, tone, comedic point of view, and character.
• Participates in committee meetings, planning meetings, festivals and workshops; Travels to same; Represents the corporation as required on juries and panels; Gives or participates in workshops for film schools and seminars.
• Keeps abreast of all relevant competing television programming, Canadian talent, and issues in culture, broadcasting and current affairs.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior