BBC Studios Australia and New Zealand is expanding its production team with the appointment of Will Hamilton to the new position of Director of Commercial and Business Operations.
Following the production this year of Mastermind, Weakest Link and Dancing With the Stars: All Stars with The Great Australian Bake Off due to begin shortly and new formats arriving in the pipeline, the position is a key role as the company moves to further growth. Will is responsible for leading a first-class production set-up as well as devising and delivering the business and commercial plan for BBC Studios Production ANZ as the company expands. Will reports into Kylie Washington, General Manager and Creative Director for BBC Studios Production ANZ, and will work closely with Daniel Doctor the new Senior Legal Counsel for APAC who joined in June with a focus on the production business.
Will joins from Eureka Productions where he was Director of Production and Operations working with Australian FTA networks and major international streaming platforms, with a slate that included successful international formats including The Amazing Race Australia, Luxe Listings, Frogger, Holey Moley and Making It. 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, and 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.
Kylie Washington said:
“I’m delighted to welcome Will to the team. 2021 has been a big year for us with four local commissions secured during the first half of the year. 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. Will has a fantastic track record and a wealth of experience with some of the world’s biggest brands managing slates for Eureka Productions, Seven Studios and Fremantle Australia. I’m excited to work with him to grow our business further as we enter the next phase of our expansion.”
Will Hamilton said:
“I’m thrilled to be joining Kylie and the team at BBC Studios. The BBC is a global iconic brand with an extensive and diverse pipeline, so ideally poised at such an exciting time in our industry. With a range of scripted and unscripted projects planned, I’m looking forward to growing this exciting business with Kylie.
Matt Forde, Managing Director, International Production and Formats BBC Studios, said:
“Will is a valuable addition to our Australian production team as BBC Studios continues to build its production business around the world. With a wealth of proven formats across all genres, our global international production and formats business is booming and I’m pleased to have someone of Will’s calibre on board.”
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 has proved its popularity and longevity around the globe and is currently licensed in 35 territories from New Zealand to Brazil. It is the highest rating show on Channel 4 since 1984.
