Big Deal Films, the indie behind Bafta-nominated BBC3 comedy Dreaming Whilst Black, has hired its first head of production and operations.
Sharon Collins, who joins from Paramount, will work across the indie’s programme slate and will lead the recruitment of off-screen talent and overall operations.
At Paramount, Collins was a production executive within the commissioning team, overseeing shows such as Traffic Cops, Michael Palin in North Korea and Cruising with Jane McDonald.
She has also worked on Children in Need, Come Dine with Me and Salvage Hunters as a freelance production manager.
Big Deal managing director Dhanny Joshi said “We’ve seen in recent times just how important good production executives truly are to the business. We are excited for Sharon to join us on our journey and bring to the table her wealth of experience as we continue to grow Big Deal.”
The diversity-focused indie, which is backed by the Channel 4 Growth Fund, has also made several films for CBBC’s My Life strand, C4 short-form series Disabled Fight Club and BBC iPlayer series Worst Dates.
It recently entered the animation space with children's series Little Badman, produced in partnership with BBC Studios, and is planning to work with three British-based diverse storytellers on further ideas for animated children's shows.
