BBC Studios Australia and New Zealand is expanding its team with the appointment of Will Hamilton to the new position of director of commercial and business operations.
With recent productions of Mastermind, Weakest Link and Dancing With the Stars: All Stars plus The Great Australian Bake-Off due to begin shortly, the business is keen to keep the momentum surging.
In his new role, Hamilton will be responsible for leading the production set-up as well as devising and delivering the business and commercial plan for BBC Studios ANZ as the company expands.
Kylie Washington
Hamilton reports into Kylie Washington, general manager and creative director for BBC Studios Production ANZ.
Washington told Mediaweek: “We have had some good success recently and the business is ramping up. We will have lots of things happening over the next 12-18 months.
“BBC Studios has now been in business for three years and it was pretty tough going into a global pandemic during year two. It has been interesting times to get into networks’ commissioning cycles.”
Hamilton joins BBC Studios from Eureka Productions where he was director of production and operations working with FTA networks and streaming platforms, with a slate that included international formats The Amazing Race Australia, Luxe Listings, Frogger, Holey Moley and Making It.
Will Hamilton
Prior to Eureka he was business director at Seven Studios working across finance, facilities, production planning and operations for scripted and unscripted production in the International Studios group. Hamilton was also director of production and TV operations at Fremantle Australia where he oversaw the management of a production slate that included BBC Studios formats such as Dancing With the Stars and The Great Australian Bake-Off under a previous agreement between BBC Studios and Fremantle as well as titles such as Grand Designs and Farmer Wants a Wife.
Washington added: “With filming due to commence on the latest series of The Great Australian Bake-Off in the coming months, which will be produced by BBC Studios for the first time, and with a number of other productions in development, the time was right to add to our team.”
Content diversity is critical
“We have a good pipeline from the UK and we have great synergy with all production arms coming together,” Washington also told Mediaweek. “BBC Studios around the world had a great virtual creative exchange last year instead of all travelling to the one city. We swapped ideas and pitched to each other.
“Original development is really important too and having a variety of genre in the slate is critical to success. From powerful and important factual series to glitzy entertainment and clever quiz to scripted comedy and drama.
“When the TV market can fluctuate across different genres, having diversity is crucial.”
Nostalgia continues to sell
BBC Studios has been a supplier to networks recommissioning former hit formats. The production business revisited Weakest Link for Nine and co-produced Dancing with the Stars: All Stars in partnership with Warner Bros for Seven.
“There are also staples like Bake Off which remain true to themselves and continue to exist without changes to their DNA.
“We are looking at a lot of our formats and how we can revamp them and thinking about it means to be doing these shows in 2021.”
Washington said BBC Studios is also open to partner with other producers. “It depends on what it is…for original definitely. I love partnerships. We work in a collaborative industry and a partnership can be very energising.”
Subscription TV platforms spend up
BBC Studios has been winning some business from the streaming sector. “We are talking to all of them. They are really interesting conversations. We talk about formats and how they would sit on their platforms, but also how the original Australian content would sit as part of a global platform.”
BBC Studios didn’t have any details to share yet, but Washington said there will be news about new business in the SVOD space very soon.
Coming next
The Great Australian Bake-Off for Foxtel marks the fourth local commission for BBC Studios ANZ this year. The series is based on an original format created by Love Productions and distributed by BBC Studios. Other productions delivered this year are a third series of Mastermind and Celebrity Mastermind for SBS, a rebooted Weakest Link hosted by Magda Subanski for Nine and Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars co-produced with Warner Bros International TV Production for Seven Network.
The Great Bake-Off format is currently licensed in 35 territories from New Zealand to Brazil. It remains the highest rating show on Britain’s Channel 4 since 1984.
See also: BBC Studios reveals hottest shows coming at virtual Showcase 2021
Top photo: Matt Moran and Maggie Beer judging The Great Australian Bake Off