How to Break Into TV Commissioning: Lessons from Disney+ EMEA Promotions

Break Into TV Commissioning in 2026: Why the Disney+ EMEA Promotions Matter to You

Hook: If you’re a student or early-career media professional frustrated by unclear entry points, opaque promotion paths, and thin feedback after internships, you’re not alone. The recent Disney+ EMEA executive promotions give a rare, public roadmap of how commissioning teams hire, develop, and promote — and what skills and portfolio pieces actually move someone from production assistant to VP.

Why this case study matters now (2026 context)

In late 2024 and through 2025, Disney+ consolidated parts of its international commissioning team and, in one of Angela Jain’s early moves as content chief for EMEA, promoted four executives internally — including Lee Mason and Sean Doyle who rose from Executive Director roles to VPs overseeing Scripted and Unscripted respectively. That public example shows two big things that matter for jobseekers in 2026:

• Internal mobility is alive in commissioning: platforms still prefer to promote people who know their strategy, metrics, and regional relationships.
• Commissioning is hybrid tech + taste: success now requires both editorial instincts and fluency with data, audience metrics, and generative AI-assisted development tools.

“Set the team up ‘for long term success in EMEA.’” — Angela Jain

The commissioning career ladder: typical roles and timelines

Below are common steps — and realistic timelines — you’ll see in Europe and other EMEA markets. Use them as templates and adapt for your country and employer scale (streamers vs broadcasters vs indie commissioners).

Sample timeline A: Streamer pathway (10–15 years to VP)

1. 0–2 years: Production Assistant / Runner / Junior Coordinator
   • Hands-on production support, basic budgeting, scheduling, on-set logistics.
   • Goal: learn production workflows; start building contacts (producers, DPs, coordinators).
2. 2–4 years: Development Coordinator / Assistant to Commissioning Editor
   • Script coverage, note-taking in meetings, early talent outreach, research projects.
   • Goal: produce 5–10 articulate coverage notes and one commissioning memo under supervision.
3. 4–7 years: Development Executive / Senior Coordinator
   • Lead small projects, shape pilots, attend markets (MIPCOM, Series Mania), manage indie relationships.
   • Goal: 1–2 credited titles or major development wins (optioned scripts, greenlighted pilots).
4. 7–10 years: Executive Director / Commissioning Editor
   • Own a slate (scripted or unscripted), negotiate deals, interface with legal and finance, manage producers.
   • Goal: drive multi-million euro projects through commissioning to production.
5. 10–15 years: Vice President (VP) of Commissioning
   • Lead commissioning strategy for a territory or genre; manage senior teams; set long-term slate priorities.
   • Goal: measurable audience growth and catalog value (franchise launches, successful IP adaptations).

Sample timeline B: Fast-track (6–10 years) — for candidates who combine rare skills

Some people accelerate when they combine editorial taste with quantitative skills (data analysis, rights-savvy negotiation, multilingual ability) or when they join a new international team during a fast-growth phase. Disney+ EMEA promotions show that long tenure helps — but measurable contributions and ownership matter even more.

What Disney+ EMEA promotions reveal about promotion criteria

• Longevity + institutional knowledge: Lee Mason and Sean Doyle were with the team almost since the commissioning arm launched. Knowing internal processes and stakeholders matters.
• Slate ownership: Commissioners who shepherd shows from pitch to release — like Rivals and Blind Date — build strong promotion cases.
• Balance of creative and commercial impact: Executives who can argue both ‘this is great TV’ and ‘this will grow subscribers/retention in X demo’ are prioritized.
• Regional leadership potential: With EMEA fragmentation, the ability to localize and scale formats across territories is highly valued.

Skills to build now (2026 edition)

Streaming commissioning in 2026 is different from 2016. Here are core, hireable skills that hiring managers explicitly look for today.

Editorial & storytelling skills

• Script coverage and constructive notes; show Bible drafting.
• Format thinking for both scripted and unscripted: what translates across markets.
• Franchise and IP adaptation instincts.

Commercial & analytical skills

• Familiarity with streaming metrics: view minutes, completion rate, cohort retention, acquisition uplift.
• Light financial literacy: commissioning budgets, licensing windows, and basic P&L thinking.
• Audience analytics tools and dashboards; comfort interpreting data to shape editorial choices.

Technical & AI literacy (new in 2026)

• Use of generative AI for rapid treatments, sizzle creation, and talent research (with ethical guardrails).
• Understanding of metadata, tagging, and discoverability signals used by platforms.
• Remote production familiarity — virtual dailies, cloud-based editing review tools.

People & industry skills

• Rights negotiation basics and knowledge of agent/producer workflows.
• Strong relationships across indie producers, festival programmers, distributors.
• Multilingual ability or proven expertise in a key territory in EMEA.

Portfolio pieces that commissioners actually value

A good commissioning portfolio is not just a reel: it’s evidence of editorial judgement, business thinking, and executable ideas. Below are specific items to build.

Essential portfolio items

• One commissioning memo (1–2 pages): concise logline, target audience, comparable titles, high-level budget range, and a one-paragraph commercial case (why it moves subs).
• Show Bible or format outline: at least two for different genres (one scripted, one unscripted preferred).
• Script coverage samples: 3–5 pages of notes showing constructive critique and suggested fixes.
• Sizzle or proof-of-concept clip (1–3 minutes): can be low-budget but focused on tone and storytelling.
• Audience & data brief: a one-page analysis showing why a project fits a platform’s audience (use public data if you don’t have access to platform dashboards).
• Deal memo mock-up: demonstrate basic commercial awareness (rights needed, windows, approximate fees).

Portfolio tips for students

• Keep items short and scannable; executives skim.
• Label items with the role you played (writer, producer, researcher).
• Use real data when possible — cite sources for audience claims.
• Host everything on a single page (personal website or PDF packet) with contact info and LinkedIn.

How to get the right internships and entry roles

Media internships are competitive — be strategic.

Where to look in 2026

• Commissioning teams at streamers (Disney+, Netflix local offices, Amazon Prime/Freevee) — follow EMEA job boards and company pages.
• Public broadcasters (BBC, ARD/ZDF, RAI) for strong editorial foundations and rights experience.
• Indie production companies — more hands-on producing and credit opportunities.
• Festival fellowships (Series Mania, Sheffield Doc/Fest, MIPTV) — great for networking and pitching training.

How to make your internship applications stand out

• Customize one commissioning memo to the team you apply to — show platform awareness.
• Highlight any analytics or spreadsheet skills; attach a one-page audience brief.
• Include concrete wins: festivals, short film credits, published reviews, or growth numbers from a student channel.
• Follow up with a short, thoughtful message after 10 days — attach a new idea or news item to demonstrate curiosity.

Networking playbook — practical, low-friction actions

Networking in commissioning should be ongoing, not event-driven. Below are tactics, with scripts you can use.

Short outreach scripts

LinkedIn cold message (1–2 sentences):

Hi [Name], I’m a [role/year] focusing on scripted development and small-format shows. I admired your work on [title]. Could I ask 10 minutes about how you evaluate pilot sizzles for EMEA? I’ll keep it brief. — [Your name]

Email after a festival meeting:

Hi [Name], great to meet you at [festival]. I enjoyed our chat about local adaptations. I attached a one-page mock commissioning memo for a short-format idea we discussed — I’d value any feedback. Thanks, [Your name]

Short-term networking habits (weekly)

• 1 outreach message to an industry contact.
• 1 comment on a public exec’s post (insightful, not sycophantic).
• 1 festival program scan — note one producer to follow up with.

What to do in your first commissioning assistant role

Make early impact with visible, measurable contributions.

• Deliver flawless coverage that includes a 1-line commercial verdict (green/amber/red) and a 2-sentence reason.
• Build a library of pitch contacts and producers in a shared spreadsheet — include specialties, past credits, and one recent news item.
• Create a weekly short brief: 5 lines of market news and one suggested title the team should watch.
• Volunteer to draft the first commissioning memo under a senior’s edit — then propose one improvement for the next edit.

Interview prep: sample questions & strong answers

Commissioning interviews assess taste, commercial thinking, and fit. Practice answers below.

Question: Tell us about a show you’d commission for our EMEA slate.

Strong answer framework: logline (1 sentence), audience (demo + behavior), commercial case (how it grows or retains users), localization potential (how it adapts), and a one-sentence production feasibility note (budget scale). Example: “A limited drama about two estranged siblings inheriting a failing seaside resort. Target: 25–44 urban viewers in UK/Ireland/Benelux who binge true-crime and prestige drama. It launches off-peak retention by cross-promoting with our culinary unscripted slate and can be formatted as a reality companion in Nordics.”

Question: How do you use data to influence commissioning?

Show you can translate KPI into editorial action: cite specific metrics (completion rate, retention by cohort) and give one short example where a short-form clip or different thumbnail improved discovery or completion.

Common mistakes candidates make — and how to avoid them

• Submitting a long, unfocused portfolio. Keep items punchy.
• Thinking commissioning is only about taste. Learn the numbers and rights basics.
• Ignoring regional specifics. EMEA is many markets; show local knowledge.
• Over-relying on AI output. Use AI to accelerate, not replace original editorial thinking.

Advanced strategies for ambitious candidates (7–10 years out)

Once you reach mid-level, shift from task execution to strategic impact.

• Own a signature format or IP adaptation and build a cross-territory plan showing revenue and talent attachments.
• Create a data-driven pilot funnel: hypothesis, sizzle, targeted release test, measurement plan.
• Lead a small team and document outcomes — i.e., how your commissioning improved retention by X% in Y demo.
• Be visible at markets and panels — publishers notice people who can represent strategy externally (and that’s often part of the VP brief).

Case study recap: Lessons from the Disney+ EMEA promotions

From the recent promotions we can extract practical, transferable lessons:

• Keep tenure but show ownership: Long-term team members like Mason and Doyle rose because they owned shows from pitch to release.
• Mix taste and commercial argument: Promotions reward people who explain why a show is culturally relevant and commercially viable.
• Be regionally fluent: EMEA success depends on localization and cross-territory thinking.
• Show leadership potential: VPs manage teams and relationships external to the company, not just projects.

Quick action plan — 90-day roadmap for students

1. Week 1–2: Build/organize a commissioning portfolio page with 3 items (memo, bible, sizzle).
2. Week 3–4: Apply to 10 internships/assistant roles; tailor one memo per application.
3. Month 2: Publish a short audience brief on LinkedIn and tag one relevant exec — invite feedback.
4. Month 3: Reach out to 6 industry contacts (festival alumni, alumni networks); request 10-minute informational calls.

Final takeaways

• Commissioning careers are multi-dimensional: editorial taste, commercial instincts, and people management all matter.
• Build a focused, evidence-based portfolio: short memos, sizzles, and data briefs will open doors.
• Network strategically: small, consistent outreach beats occasional mass messaging.
• Learn platform metrics: speak fluent KPI and you’ll stand out in interviews and internal reviews.

Call to action

Ready to map your path from PA to VP? Start by creating one commissioning memo tailored to a streamer’s EMEA slate and applying for an internship today. If you want a template packet, portfolio checklist, and a 90-day outreach calendar tailored to your profile, download our free commissioning starter kit at jobsearch.page/careers (or sign up for weekly EMEA jobs and internship alerts). Your commissioning career starts with one measured, transferable piece of work — make it count.

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