Overview of the role
A development researcher is responsible for generating new programme ideas. They assist in preparing, researching and fact-checking pitch documents and decks. They support the development assistant producer (AP), development producer and head of development (HoD). In teams with no development assistants, development researchers might take on additional administrative and organisational responsibilities.
Core responsibilities
These core responsibilities are provided as a guide and are not exhaustive. The exact responsibilities in a particular job will vary depending on the scale / budget band / genre of the production.
- Watch output from a wide range of broadcasters and platforms
- Understand the difference between the various genre departments, the types of programmes they commission and their specific programming needs
- Understand the different target audiences of each channel and what content might interest them
- Review commissioning briefs of departments and channels
- Monitor audience ratings and the success of newly commissioned and established programmes
- Read industry magazines and websites for relevant industry insights and share these with the wider team
- Consume a wide range of traditional and social media and use this as the inspiration for new ideas
- Keep abreast of new media and programming trends and communicate these to the team
- Identify and explore new subject matter, develop new approaches for established territories
- Prepare for brainstorms by responding to commissioner briefs or topics/subject matters as communicated by the HoD
- Contribute to brainstorms with original thoughts and starting points
- Produce clear notes on ideas and subject matter discussed during brainstorms, liaise with the HoD in circulating these to development team members along with action points
- Organise ideas into folders and ensure these are kept up-to-date
- Explore a range of subject matters by researching facts and statistics and use these to support the development of ideas under the direction of the development AP or producer
- Identify the correct organisations, individuals and sources to speak to when conducting research
- Keep a clear log of sources and understand the difference between a reliable and unreliable source
- Be confident in picking up the phone and cold calling relevant individuals and organisations for research conversations
- Fact check information, collate and lay out research in an easy to digest way and share documents with the development AP and producer
- Identify the correct organisations, individuals and sources to speak to when conducting research
- Work with the development AP or producer to make approaches
- Identify new talent through consuming a wide range of media and share new talent with the team
- Suggest new and established talent for projects in development by finding links to relevant subject matters
- Uncover new interests of established and high-profile talent and use this to pitch inventive and unexpected ideas
- Understand that talent is associated with or contracted to a specific channel and develop an instinct for the channels that new and established talent feel most appropriate for
- Conduct background checks into talent via internet searches and social media, escalate any areas of concern to the HoD
- Identify interesting new characters and cast to bring to existing projects or to inspire new ideas
- Identify possible people, places and organisations (access) of interest
- Find contact details and make initial approaches via email or phone with the help of the development AP or producer
- Take part in research chats and interviews with potential contributors or access alongside the development AP or producer
- Cut any filmed or recorded conversations into casting tapes
- Conduct background checks into individuals or organisations via internet searches and social media, escalate any areas of concern to the HoD
- Carry out background research on broadcasters including an overview of programming and high-rating shows
- Communicate information to the development team
- Contribute research, facts and statistics to pitch materials
- Assist in the design of pitch materials such as pitch decks and sizzles
- Organise relevant documents for the team in advance of meetings including printing and ordering
- Work to a clear deadline for the preparation of material with guidance from the development AP or producer
- Attend commissioner meetings and support in pitches by contributing research, statistics and facts
- Work with simple design software and understand how good design can be used to enhance pitch materials
- Source images as well as user generated content (UGC) and found footage for pitch decks and sizzles (those with camera training may film original footage for taster tapes)
- Proof-read and format documents
- As a development researcher grows in confidence and ability, they should start to write initial drafts of ideas
Skills
Check out role specific skills, transferable skills and attributes for the role of development researcher.
- Actively engage with the output of a range of broadcasters and platforms and become familiar with the commissioning landscape
- Organise and contribute to the design and production of pitch materials, decks and sizzles
- Manage and prioritise a varied workload, juggling a range of projects at different stages of the development process with varying needs
- Communication: communicate the requirements of the development team with a variety of internal and external organisations and individuals
- Team-working: collaboration within own and with other departments and external organisations
- Planning: assist with practical requirements for transport, refreshments, meetings and diary coordination
- IT skills: familiarity with a range of software to support the team in the logging, development and design of ideas
- Deliver under pressure: responding quickly to the needs of the team and urgent deadlines calmly and efficiently
- Enthusiasm: an active interest in learning more about the industry, including consuming content from a range of different broadcasters and platforms
- Resilience: adapts positively to changing work priorities and patterns, ensuring deadlines continue to be met
- Be proactive and explore new ideas and non-standard ways of working which will enhance and deliver the best results for the ideas
- Productivity: organises work effectively and achieves required results within deadlines
- Demonstrates the drive and energy to get things done in pressurised situations and escalates appropriately when necessary
- Ethics and integrity: honest and principled in all their actions and interactions
- Respectful and inclusive of others and meets the ethical requirements of their profession/discretion
- Flexibility: willing to both listen and learn and to accept changing priorities and working requirements and has the flexibility to maintain high standards in a changing environment
- Professional development: develop an ethos to learn and seek out learning and networking opportunities, identifying those that will be most beneficial