I'm Jack, an experienced format developer and question writer working across a wide variety of entertainment genres. I started on EndemolShine's (as it was then) Brightbulb internship and worked my way up to Development AP there, while being lucky enough to have the opportunity to work on various productions alongside that, including The 100k Drop,... Read More

I'm Jack, an experienced format developer and question writer working across a wide variety of entertainment genres. I started on EndemolShine's (as it was then) Brightbulb internship and worked my way up to Development AP there, while being lucky enough to have the opportunity to work on various productions alongside that, including The 100k Drop, The Wall, and Richard Osman's House of Games. I then moved to Thames where I worked my way up to Producer, working on various quiz pilots and being part of the team that recently got a big Netflix reality show comissioned.
On the development side, I love really getting stuck into a format and thinking through all the ways it could function as a game - there's nothing more satisfying that finding an elegant solution to a thorny issue. I love the puzzle of it, especially combined with making sure you don't lose track of the bigger picture of what makes the show entertaining and must-watch in the first place. I love a big idea, and some of mine have come from the most random of sources - including someone making a pun that then got my brain gears whirring as to whether it could be a title! I think a great show needs an unmissable big concept underpinned by a format that actually works, and I think I work well at straddling both of those requirements. I'm also an avid quizzer in my spare time, and have written questions for everything from the comedic (House of Games) to the big, high stakes shows (such as 100k Drop and The Wall). I know what makes a question work, or not, and I love finding new and interesting ways of asking about topics that are familiar enough to not alienate the majority of the audience. 
Format wise, I'd always rather take the novel path than the easy one - but I think the true art of development is finding a way to make something novel, but convince the commissioner it is possible and not as scary as it sounds!
In terms of skills, I'm very experienced at making pitch decks and interactive PowerPoints for run-throughs. I can write code that interacts with PowerPoint, which opens up a whole world of possibilities - from interactive scoreboards to games with many moving animated parts, to 3d set designs that you can move and fly through - I love PowerPoint.
If you've made it this far, thanks for reading all this, and please feel free to get in touch if you want to know more! Read Less