BBC Taps Kids’ Commissioner for Scotland & Northern Ireland

BELFAST: Seasoned executive producer Julia Bond has been named BBC Children’s first commissioning exec for Scotland and Northern Ireland, effective March 1.

In her new position, Bond will work out of Glasgow alongside Kay Benbow and Cheryl Taylor, controllers of CBeebies and CBBC, respectively. She is charged with nurturing and developing relationships with the indie sector in the region, while also collaborating with the in-house production team in Scotland. She will help find potential commissions, make recommendations to Benbow and Taylor, and deliver projects from preproduction to completion. She will also be the key liaison between BBC ALBA and BBC Children’s.

Bond has served as an executive producer for BBC Children’s since 2011. She has more than 19 years of industry experience in kids’ programming production, and has worked with BBC in-house and the independent sector across linear, interactive and games. Throughout her career, she has contributed to a number of linear and digital productions for CBeebies and CBBC, including Nina and the Neurons, Lifebabble and Teacup Travels.

Benbow and Taylor remarked: “We are delighted that a candidate of Julia’s caliber has secured this important role and we look forward to expanding the range of content from the Nations.”

Bond added: “I’m passionate about children’s production and the creative industries. This role is a fantastic opportunity to work with the creative talent within the indie sector in Scotland and Northern Ireland, tell brilliant stories and engage children right across the U.K. with content that will stay with them all their lives. It’s a real privilege and I’m very much looking forward to taking up this new role.”