Screentime’s Deb Spinocchia will join BBC Studios Australia and New Zealand in January as head of development and content, production.
In her new role, Spinocchia will lead the ANZ development team and oversee the delivery of shows to commissioning platforms. The studio has recently won five local commissions, including its first locally created original format Space 22 for the ABC.
At Screentime, Spinocchia was executive producer of SAS Australia, for Seven and The School That Tried to End Racism, for the ABC.
Prior to, she worked as an executive producer at Seven Studios where she oversaw productions including House Rules, Zumbo’s Just Desserts, First Dates and Back with the Ex. Her career has also spanned Southern Star Entertainment, Endemol Shine, Fremantle Media, SBS and ABC, and shows such as World’s Strictest Parents, So You Think You Can Dance, Big Brother, Undercover Boss and Beauty and the Geek.
BBC Studios GM and creative director Kylie Washington said she was delighted to have someone of Spinocchia’s calibre joining the team.
“Deb has a wealth of experience in content development and production across reality, factual, scripted and live entertainment and is the perfect person to lead the development team as we build on the momentum of this year and look to extend our slate further into different genres,” she said.
Commenting on her appointment, Spinocchia said: “I am delighted to join Kylie and the team at such an exciting and pivotal moment for BBC Studios’ production arm. The expansion of their creative development slate across Australia and New Zealand has been enormously impressive and I’m thrilled to be a part of the next phase.”
BBC Studios bolstered its production team earlier this year with the appointment of Will Hamilton to the newly created role of director of commercial and business operations. Other titles produced this year are The Great Australian Bake-Off for Foxtel, a second season of Dancing With the Stars: All Stars for Seven, Mastermind and Celebrity Mastermind for SBS and The Weakest Link for Nine.