BBC Studios has named Zai Bennett as new CEO and Chief Creative Officer for BBC Studios Productions, BBC Studios’ global content-making division. 🤝
Bennett’s remit - that will span the company’s UK and international production units (including the world-renowned Natural History Unit), owned labels and invested indies across its Global Entertainment, Factual, Scripted, Kids & Family and Audio genres - will see him bring a creative-first approach to driving the production business forward.
He will be tasked with building high value, distributable IP, maintaining BBC returning series and key brands, securing new commissions - and expanding BBC Studios’ international format pipeline through development capabilities in existing markets as well as expansion into new territories. Retaining the producer’s position as provider of scale original streamer series, whilst also continuing to be the biggest supplier of content to the corporation, will also play a crucial part in his new role.
He joins from Sky where he is currently Managing Director of Content and will take the reins of the UK’s most awarded production company, with BBC Studios Productions responsible for seven of the top 10 performing shows in the UK across 2023.
At Sky, Bennett is principally responsible for its portfolio of entertainment services such as Sky Atlantic and Sky Max, Sky’s premium brands, Sky Cinema and Sky Kids as well as Sky’s Free To Air services like Sky Arts. He has ordered hugely successful award-winning dramas, such as This Is England, hit comedies like Brassic and popular entertainment like Rob and Romesh Versus (to name a few). Bennett took Sky Arts FTA in 2020 helping make the arts more accessible for all and launched Sky’s factual services like Sky Documentaries which recently won the factual BAFTA for the second year in a row for Lockerbie.
Zai has also held senior roles at Channel 5, ITV and the BBC. You can read more about the appointment and Zai's incredible CV here: https://lnkd.in/gdxTPheW
He takes up his new position in November and will report into CEO Tom Fussell, joining BBC Studio’s Executive Committee.