Chris Sussman signs Banijay first-look deal
- Chris Sussman, who has commissioned comedy shows for the BBC and Netflix, will now work with Banijay
- He will develop scripted projects for Banijay's UK-based production companies
- He says: "I am excited to see what else we can develop together"
Former BBC and Netflix comedy executive Chris Sussman has signed a deal to develop scripted projects with Banijay.
The commissioner and executive producer will help devise original programming across various of Banijay's companies.
The worldwide producing group, which owns over 20 UK-based TV production companies, includes Shiny Button (The Curse), Tiger Aspect (Man Like Mobeen), The Comedy Unit (Scot Squad) and panel show producer Zeppotron amongst its company roster.
Sussman, who worked for a number of years as head of comedy at BBC Studios, takes on the role after having been director of UK scripted content at Netflix, where he oversaw titles including Man Vs Bee[/h] and Black Mirror.
His CV includes hits such as Famalam, People Just Do Nothing, Upstart Crow, Two Doors Down, Bad Education and Motherland.
The deal is part of Banijay UK's Growth Fund initiative. Overseen by CEO Patrick Holland, it has a budget of £50m to partner the group with high-profile talent.
Sussman say: "I loved working with Patrick when he was controller of BBC Two and am excited to see what else we can develop together."
He also joked: "Nobody seems to be returning my phone calls now I'm not in commissioning anymore, but I'm sure that's just a problem with my mobile network and it will all be sorted soon."
Holland comments: "Chris is an extraordinary creative with fantastic talent relationships so I can't wait to work with him. The UK Growth Fund was set up to enable us to attract exciting names like Chris to business, so I'm delighted to be able to announce this deal."
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