BBCS in LA hires Mission Control & Mentorn alum for unscripted development

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BBC Studios (BBCS) has hired a former ITV Studios and Tinopolis exec to a new LA-based role overseeing unscripted development.

Nicholas Oakley becomes SVP of unscripted development at BBCS’s LA Production division, reporting into Ryan O’Dowd, EVP of music & entertainment. His remit includes conceiving and developing original ideas, as well as exploring both US and international formats for adaptation.

Nicholas Oakley

Oakley most recently served as head of development at Mission Control Media, where he worked on gameshows and competition series, and before that he ran West Coast development for the HLN network at CNN.

He has also had stints as the US office of Tinopolis-owned UK production company Mentorn, served as a VP of development for MTV, and worked for ITV Studios, initially in London and then LA. Oakley began his career at the BBC.

O’Dowd said: “Advancing our mission to develop, sell and produce premium content for our broadcast and streaming partners remains our top priority.

“Nick brings a strong network of long-standing relationships in our business, along with his impressive breadth of experience across multiple genres on the buying and selling side, in both the US and the UK, which make him uniquely qualified to thrive in this role.”

BBCS’s LA-based output includes Dancing With The Stars for Disney+, CBS comedy Ghosts and Welcome To Flatch on Fox, with all three based on UK formats.

In related news, STV Studios has become the first client for BBC Studioworks’ new purpose-built studio at Kelvin Hall in in Glasgow’s West End.

Co-funded by the Scottish Government, through Screen Scotland and Glasgow City Council, the facility will expand capacity to produce multi-genre TV productions. STV is using the space to record the second season of BBC One’s quiz show, Bridge Of Lies.