Network Development Producer
Part time 0.6FTE/3 days per week, 2 years fixed term contract
£40K FTE (£24K pro rata)
Location: London or hybrid
Closing date: 26 March 2023
OKRE is a spin out charity of the Wellcome Trust, building on its award-winning work across broadcast, games and film. It connects great research with the entertainment industry – to inspire the creation of original, popular entertainment that expands people’s understanding of the world.
The Network Development Producer will build strong relationships with communities across academic disciplines, lived experience, and entertainment media. The role would appeal to someone who loves immersing themselves in new fields, working with content creators in different media, and can think laterally about connections to inspire compelling new approaches to subjects on screen.
The role is varied and could involve matchmaking an award-winning games studio with mental health researchers for a new videogame or connecting a day-time soap opera with a charity to work with those with first-hand expertise of experiences such as international migration in the development of storylines.
Main Responsibilities:
BROKERING CREATIVE CONNECTIONS
- Working with industry, support the development of fresh, creative projects through matchmaking new collaborations between entertainment, research sector and expertise from lived experience
- Bring lateral thinking, building unexpected new connections with diverse subjects and communities – not just the obvious links already being made
- Engage with relevant events, proactively making new connections in-real-life and online
NETWORK GROWTH
- Build and nurture relationships with communities across a wide array of academic disciplines, entertainment sector creators and decision-makers, and the charity sector
- Support entertainment industry development through equitable inclusion of expertise from lived experience
DEEP INDUSTRY UNDERSTANDING
- Contribute and continually develop expertise, networks, and knowledge of the diverse range of sectors, disciplines, genres, and subject fields with which OKRE works
- Adapt to changes in platforms, genres, and audience interests, and work with the team to keep on top of emerging trends
SUPPORT EVENT AND CONTENT PRODUCTION
- Provide support helping identify relevant speakers and contributors for OKRE’s programme of activities
- Contribute to the design of OKRE’s activities to ensure they speak to the needs and interests of the OKRE Network and support its development
OTHER
- Contribute to the assessment of applications to the OKRE Fund
- Report on activities of the OKRE Network, including matchmaking and the impact of OKRE-initiated collaborations and supported projects, with excellent record keeping
- Undertake any other work that may be reasonably required from time to time.
Experience and Skills
Experience in the entertainment industries desirable but enthusiasm about our goals and willingness to talk to everyone and find out the stories and what each project needs is essential.
Essential:
- Demonstrable knowledge and interest of developments in the entertainment industries
- Experience of working collaboratively in creative development
- Adept at networking – able to form long-term effective working relationships
- Excellent inter-personal skills. Can challenge, build rapport with, establish credibility, and influence stakeholders
Desirable:
- Excellent ability to identify and make unexpected connections between people
- Creative thinking and experience of story development
- Experience of producing events
- Excellent written communication skills
- Demonstrable experience of time and priority management
- High level of attention to detail and retention of information
- Able to work in a flexible and agile way
About You:
- Have a pro-active interest in screen and audio entertainment, including video games, and with what different audiences are engaging
- Excited to attend events and make new connections
- Intellectually curious about and adaptable to different sectors
- Ready to speak with anyone and intrigued to explore different perspectives
- Well organised, methodical and motivated to get things done
- Work well as a member of a team
To apply send your CV and cover letter setting out how you meet the essential requirements to [email protected] by 26 March 2023.
About OKRE
OKRE is a charity connecting the entertainment industry with academic researchers and personal lived experience to spark exciting new projects and tackle misperceptions. We launched in 2021 as a successful spin-out of Wellcome’s long-running Broadcast, Film & Games. Our team helped develop and fund BAFTA-winning video games and Oscar-nominated films, and supported Emmy award-winning screenwriters. We are a catalyst for creative content.
Our work is broken down into two broad strands:
- The OKRE Network – We manage a network including game developers, screenwriters, television producers, film directors, charitable foundations, funders, academics, universities and research institutions. Through the network members make connections across sectors and industries, leading to exciting projects and insights.
- OKRE run on and offline events to boost the network and encourage collaboration across sectors. Our flagship event is the OKRE Summit which brings together content creators from across film, television, games, podcasting and social media with charities. You can read more about the OKRE Summit 2022 here.
- The OKRE Fund – The Fund is the venture arm of OKRE’s work, providing early-stage funding to imaginative and collaborative projects across research and entertainment. OKRE Funded projects currently in development include dramas, comedies and games.
Diversity and inclusion is at the heart of everything we do. We are committed to creating an environment where all employees, workers and job applicants can thrive. We work to make our recruitment processes as inclusive as possible. If you would like us to make adjustments during the application process, please contact us. We expect our team to treat others on their merits and challenge any form of direct or indirect discrimination, victimisation, or sexual, racial or any other type of harassment.