COMPLETE Head Of Production - Madrid, Spain

Reporting to the VP of Programming & Production Spain, and dotted line to Director, Production Management to manage the project slate in all stages of development, greenlight preparation, and on-going management in production.

The post should work within departmental guidelines, guiding third party production partners and working closely with members of the OPD team to keep them up to date with all Production issues. This role is expected to bring with it, professional external drama production experience & strategic planning skills to contribute to the positive and collaborative navigation of production challenges at all stages of projects. 

Key responsibilities are to analyze 3rd party budgets & schedules, provide assessments around viability, research foreign filming and requirements, prepare green-lights, monitor budget/s (as assigned), monitor production health and safety, and standards relating to working with minors and talent.

This role will require you to be onsite 4 days a week.

The Opportunity & Responsibilities:

• To act as key advisor to the stakeholders in the OPD team to enable them to balance editorial aims and delivery requirements with financial and resource constraints.
• To enable production values to align with Disney quality expectations.
• To continually seek to provide increased value to the project/s success through challenging the status quo, reviewing production processes and shaping and implementing improved ways of working.
• Monitor health & safety practice and keep informed about industry standards post Covid 19.
• Manage assigned budgets and produce regular reports and analysis, working with finance stake holders
• Monitor industry standards and practice to ensure Disney projects are aligned and relevant.
• Support local markets
• Reviewing and analyze 3rd party budgets, schedules, scripts, timings, health & safety, all aspects of planning & where necessary, create or collaborate to develop other budget / schedules for back up planning.
• Co-lead budget negotiations with independent production companies as assigned, benchmarking fair price and industry rates. Negotiate production solutions approve production technology in consultation with the Disney operations team, other operational issues and production schedules that deliver to Disney EMEA requirements (factoring in dubbing run times).
• Working with Disney internal departments to move the project forward through casting / location recces, hires, series projections, sourcing any expertise we may need.
• Monitor and make recommendations around best practice working with talent (high profile, international).
• For the broader realization of projects including paper development, pilot and series planning, budgets and schedules will need to be created to assess projects as a WHOLE (combining Disney internal project management costs & external production costs).
• You will need to manage Cost Monitors, tracking the various elements of Green-light Budgets, as assigned. This will include monitoring the impact of tax incentives as applicable to each project and ensuring the qualifying criteria is maintained. You will be required to provide regular reports and narrative progress reports.
• Recce travel and arrangements will need to be made for all stakeholders in the team. All arrangements will need to coordinated by the Line Producer - admin support available for bookings.
• When in production, attend set / location at key stages and provide updates and reports back to the Disney team. Ensure 3rd parties are providing all regular industry standard reports.
• Management responsibilities will fall to you when in situ at sets/ locations, supporting the Creative Project lead, and any other executives.
• You will be called upon to co-ordinate project status reports / updates / and create strategies with the creative leads to move the project forward under the prevailing conditions. You will need to ensure records of negotiations and project notes are kept on file (in the form of a project log) &source regular progress reports from 3rd parties.
• We will require you to manage aspects of due diligence for all hires and input into deal preparation documentation.
• You will of course need to comply with Disney Business Standards & Practice, which you will be advised upon.
• You will need to be conversant with the Disney’s Live Action Producer’s Handbook and communicate aspects of our Producer Handbook to third parties.  Making recommendations when it is prudent to update in line with industry requirements.
• Anticipate problems and advise the Production Lead, Directors of Production and Production Management when production, budgetary, legal issues arise.
• Liaise and work closely with Legal and Business Affairs crafting and influencing deal terms with industry expertise.
• Liaise and work closely with OPD Finance team to forecast and monitor production costs.
• Liaise with other relevant Disney departments - Finance, Press, Marketing, Creative, Transmission, On Air, Digital and Social Media, Procurement, Compliance, Security etc.
• Point of Contact for Production Companies on all day to day production issues, as assigned.
• You will be a highly motivated professional with a proactive approach, willing to roll your sleeves up to get the job done, and willing to help out within the PM team as necessary.