A broadcaster says it is looking for a new Saturday evening show about families and cooking. By Thursday the development producer has three versions on paper, has found two real families who might take part, and has filmed a short test in a borrowed kitchen. If the head of development likes one, it goes to the broadcaster next week. The development producer does the hands-on work of turning an idea into a pitch.
What a development producer does
Development is everything that happens before a production gets the green light (see development). Sometimes that work is paid, for example through a development deal with a broadcaster or a fund, but the decision to make the production comes later. The development producer works inside a production company, usually under the head of development. They come up with ideas, research them, and write them up as a treatment. A treatment is a short document that explains what the programme or film is, who it is for, what an episode looks like and why it will work.
In unscripted TV they often also make a taster tape, a few minutes of footage that show the idea on screen. In scripted work they find writers, give notes on outlines and scripts, and keep the project moving. They prepare the pitch material and often join the meeting with the broadcaster or financier.
Responsibilities
- Generate and research new ideas for the company's slate
- Write treatments, outlines and pitch documents
- Find contributors, presenters or writers who fit the idea
- Plan and produce taster tapes with a small crew
- Give notes on scripts and outlines with the writer
- Track feedback from buyers and rework ideas accordingly
How the role touches the budget
Lightly. A development producer usually works with a small amount of money per project, for example for a day of filming for a taster tape, a researcher's time or travel. They may help draft an outline budget for a pitch, so the buyer has an idea of the cost per episode, but the detailed budget is built later by the production team and a line producer or production manager.
How people become development producers
The usual route is through researcher roles, either in development or on productions, where people learn how programmes are built and what makes an idea sellable. Some move across from producing or directing on productions, bringing practical knowledge of what is possible to film.
On a commissioned project
When a project gets the green light, the development producer sometimes moves with it into production, for example as a producer or series producer. In other companies they hand it over and go back to the next idea on the board.