Humble Bee brings in NHU’s Edwards

Bristol-based factual prodco Humble Bee Films has brought in a BBC Natural History Unit (NHU) exec as its head of development.

Jayne Edwards

Jayne Edwards is joining the natural history specialist having been a development executive at the NHU, leading US and SVOD projects for the UK pubcaster.

Prior to this she was creative executive at BBC Studios and head of development at European producer and distributor Off The Fence.

At Humble Bee, Edwards will help expand the business into the premium factual space, developing and pitching science, history and specialist factual programming.

She will also build on the company’s core slate of blue-chip factual productions, which includes BBC1, Netflix and Nine Network Australia natural history coproduction Attenborough’s Life in Colour. She will also oversee Humble Bee Films’ growing development team.

Based in Bristol, Edwards reports to Humble Bee Films’ creative director Stephen McQuillan, who joined from Bristol rival Icon Films earlier this month.

McQuillan said: “Jayne has lived and breathed the UK natural history scene for the last few years now and has a superb reputation across the industry – but she also has a great eye for specialist factual, history and science programming. It’s this blend of experience that makes her an exciting fit for Humble Bee Films, as the company looks to broaden its slate into the premium factual space alongside its already stellar line-up of blue-chip content.”