Ian Moffitt is Senior Vice President of Programming, Business Development & Operations at BBC Worldwide Productions LA. Ian began his career at Carlton TV and has worked in many areas of the business, from production to marketing to distribution. I recently had a chance to interview Ian to discuss digital content, mentoring and Endeavor.
Q: Can you tell us about your background? What made you want to work in entertainment?
-I was brought up in the north of England, which is a long way, in every sense, from Los Angeles. My love for this industry began when I was 17 and a contestant on a very big TV game show in the UK. I found the TV studio atmosphere very exciting and intoxicating and I was instantly bitten and always wanted to be in TV after that. My team won the show and received a vacation to the U.S. as our prize – sailed out on the QE2, returned on Concorde. So in one fell swoop, that was the first time I had seen the business, the first time I travelled overseas and Concorde was the first time I flew. At that point, I knew I wanted to be working in entertainment and in the States.
My first job in television was a graduate management program at Carlton TV in London where we got to work in every area of the company for a couple of months. I’ve since had jobs with production companies, marketing/branding agencies and international distributors, and through those would visit LA occasionally on business and fell in love with the city. I came to Los Angeles four years ago to work for Endeavor and shortly thereafter I was recruited to work for BBC Worldwide Productions, as “Dancing with the Stars” was becoming a booming success, and it’s been great to be part of the company during an exciting time of growth and expansion.
Q: What do you look for in a strategic partner?
-the key is to partner with people and companies complementary to us - where we each bring something different to the table.
Q: What was it like to mentor a JHRTS member?
-it was a fantastic experience. We got together for coffee once a month and discussed all aspects of the industry. I would definitely recommend it as it’s a mutual exchange of ideas and viewpoints, and an opportunity for both mentor and mentee to learn. It’s certainly not just a one way street.
Q: What are you doing in new media?
-clearly this is a key growth sector in our industry, much of which is still unknown and untapped. It’s exciting to be able to work with a new medium as a content provider. We’re exploring various opportunities with some of our formats as well as original development in digital content, particularly in comedy where we are working with the best talent in the space.
Q: Where do you want to be in five years' time?
-LA. Where I was brought up it rained 300 days a year, and the most exotic animal we ever saw was a sparrow. I hope my son never takes dolphins at the beach or hummingbirds and deer in the back garden for granted.
