BBC Studios Establishes L.A.-Based Natural History Unit

BBC Studios is expanding its Natural History Unit (NHU) to the U.S. for the first time, planning to hire for a Los Angeles hub.

The L.A.-based team members will be tasked with expanding and deepening the NHU’s network of relationships with U.S. platforms, forging new relationships and partnerships with on- and off-screen talent and pursuing new digital opportunities in the natural-history space. This will be the first time in the NHU’s 63-year history that a team is permanently based outside the U.K.

The NHU LA team will report into the NHU’s Bristol HQ and will work closely with the senior creative team there.

Tom McDonald, director of factual at BBC Studios, said: “There has never been a more important time to be making films about the natural world. The Natural History Unit’s programs are synonymous with quality across the globe. Our work for the BBC in the U.K. and our co-production partners worldwide continues to be of vital importance to the NHU, but this expansion in the U.S. will allow us to strengthen our U.S. relationships, forge partnerships with new platforms, and expand our network of makers, scientists and talent. This is a really significant moment in the NHU’s history.”

Julian Hector, head of BBC Studios Natural History Unit, said: “Natural history is a global business, with a global reach so it makes perfect sense that NHU’s first move out of the U.K. should be LA. Across the U.K. and U.S. we will define leading-edge wildlife storytelling craft with the caliber of A-List on and off-screen talent to make content with purpose leading to endless possibilities for our audiences, clients and for the natural world.”

Valerie Bruce, general manager at BBC Studios LA Productions, said: “The BBC Studios LA Productions team looks forward to welcoming the NHU team to Los Angeles and collaborating with them.”