BBC Studios ANZ Expands Local Production Team

BBC Studios Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) has expanded its local 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, along with other productions in development and new formats arriving, the company hired Hamilton to help manage and further its growth by devising and delivering the business and commercial plan for BBC Studios Production ANZ. He will also lead production setup.

Hamilton will report to 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.

Prior to this appointment, Hamilton was the director of production and operations for Eureka Productions. While there, he worked on international formats such as The Amazing Race Australia, Luxe Listings, Frogger, Holey Moley and Making It. Before that position, he was business director at Seven Studios and director of production and TV operations at Fremantle Australia, where he saw the management of a production slate that included BBC Studios formats such as Dancing With the Stars and The Great Australian Bake Off.

“I’m delighted to welcome Will to the team,” said Washington. “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.”

“I’m thrilled to be joining Kylie and the team at BBC Studios,” Hamilton commented. “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 of international production and formats at 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 caliber on board.”