TCB appoints BBCS commissioning editor

UK-based distributor TCB Media Rights has appointed an executive from BBC Studios (BBCS) to the newly created position of commissioning editor.

Hannah Demidowicz

In her new role, thought to be a first for a factual distribution business, Hannah Demidowicz will oversee a TCB slate that includes A Killer’s Mistake and Extreme Love. TCB is planning to launch up to eight more shows before the Mipcom market in October.

Demidowicz joins having been commissioning editor at BBCS, where she ordered programming for international channels BBC Brit and BBC Earth, which cut back on ordering originals last year.

Earlier this month, BBCS’s entertainment and factual entertainment chief left the organisation as part of a wider revamp.

During her time at BBCS, Demidowicz forged coproductions with BBC3, Channel 4 and ITV, while her credits include Stupid Man, Smart Phone for BBC Brit/BBC3 and Fishing Impossible for BBC Earth/ITV.

Prior to joining BBCS, she was a commissioning editor for National Geographic Channels International, working on shows such as Car SOS for National Geographic Europe and Primal Survivor for National Geographic International and National Geographic in the US.

Demidowicz’s appointment reflects a wider trend in factual for distributors to commission content, with TCB greenlighting approximately 50 hours of self-funded and co-developed projects over the past year.

TCB CEO Paul Heaney described Demidowicz’s appointment as “a real coup” and said it was a “natural next step” for his company.

“Our core function is as a traditional distributor but we now have a duty of care to not only respect the investments made to the producers but also to ensure the show sells. We have been working with producers at the earliest stages since launch at the end of 2012 and now we have the competence, experience and resources to back it up. The buyers know they have ‘one of their own’ in Hannah.”

Demidowicz added: “With many distributors now involving themselves upstream in the development process, traditional roles and boundaries are becoming more fluid as the creative industry adapts to the challenges of globalisation.”