Dan McDermott named Head of Scripted Television for BBC Studios and Lionsgate partnership

Global content leaders BBC Studios in Los Angeles and Lionsgate announced that they have appointed preeminent media executive Dan McDermott as head of the companies’ television partnership.

The venture was formed to identify, co-develop and co-fund scripted formats and original intellectual property for the U.S. market.

McDermott, a multifaceted executive with an extensive entertainment industry background in content creation, development and distribution, has managed a number of creative collaborations and network organizations. In his newly-created role, he will be responsible for overseeing the operations of this recent partnership while shepherding its content initiatives.

“I have always followed my curiosity and ambition – from the early days at Fox and DreamWorks to my years spent writing and producing content. Now, I am inspired to lead the partnership of these two great companies. BBC Studios is a treasure trove of great properties and talent, and Lionsgate is a global content platform with one of the most exciting independent television businesses in the world. The extraordinary teams of Mark Linsey and Matt Forde at BBC Studios and Kevin Beggs and Sandra Stern at Lionsgate are the perfect partners to make this happen. I can hardly wait to dive in,” said McDermott.

“Dan’s business acumen and deep roots in the creative community make him the perfect candidate to lead the charge on this collaboration with our great partners at BBC Studios,” said Lionsgate Television Chairman Kevin Beggs.

“From television to film, from distributing content to writing his own, Dan has proven that he’s a skilled studio executive with a very creative spirit. As we continue to ramp up our scripted operations with Lionsgate, we’re looking forward to having an astute leader like Dan to guide the team that will fill our content pipeline with great television series for the U.S. market,” said Matt Forde, managing director, International Production & Formats, BBC Studios.