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Development Producer, Rare TV
Abigail is a development producer at Rare TV, with over a decade of experience creating, developing and delivering factual and factual entertainment programmes for some of the UK’s biggest broadcasters and streamers. With a proven track record of originating ideas and securing commissions, her credits include Disney+’s upcoming documentary about Duffy, Island Medics and B&B by the Sea for BBC Two, Made Up in Belfast for BBC Three, Dream Life for the Same Price for Channel 4 and Ireland: Coast and Country for More4. Her career has spanned Belfast, Glasgow and London, working with leading independent production companies including Remarkable and Hungry Bear Media. She was selected as a TV Festival One to Watch and is a recipient of the Realscreen Mentorship Award.
Founder, Absolute Notions.
Fernando de Jesus is the founder of ABSOLUTE NOTiONS, a new BBC Studios label developing innovative content and formats for television and beyond. The label uses technology to shape storytelling, gameplay and audience participation, with humour and human connection at the heart of its ideas. Previously Creative Director at Rare TV and Studio Ramsay Global, Fernando helped develop Netflix’s documentary series Being Gordon Ramsay and the upcoming Duffy documentary for Disney+, on which he serves as executive producer. His development credits also include Next Level Chef, now in its sixth season on Fox, The Savoy for ITV, as well as Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars for the BBC and Fox. He also co-created and executive produced The Boy in the Book/Choose Your Own Documentary, the UK’s first live interactive documentary and winner of a Fringe First award.
Vice President of Unscripted Originals and Sports Entertainment at Disney+
Sean Doyle is an Emmy Award winning Vice President of Unscripted Originals and Sports Entertainment at Disney+ He has responsibility for the UK and overseeing the EMEA unscripted slate. Since joining Disney+ he has been the creative lead for unscripted with a raft of series and films and is responsible for commissioning the critically acclaimed Caroline Flack: Search for the Truth, Flintoff, Finding Michael, Coleen Rooney: The Real Wagatha Story, The Pope Answers and the Emmy award-winning Brawn: The Impossible Formula 1 Story. Upcoming UK unscripted Hulu Original series coming to Disney+ include Blind Date, The Real Rooney’s, Alan Carr’s Castle Man (w/t), and Duffy (w/t). With his wider remit of Sports Entertainment Sean works closely with ESPN to identify projects that appeal to sports fans on Disney+. His recent commissions in this space include the recent partnership of Stick to Football and Disney+ and the hugely successful global launch of Max v 100 with Max Verstappen. Prior to joining Disney Sean was channel lead on More4 turning the channel’s fortunes around to become a leading digital offering for viewers resulting in More4 winning Channel of the Year at the Broadcast Digital awards. As well as his work on More4, Sean was Deputy Head of Channel 4’s Features & Formats department and responsible for a huge number of hit series. Sean was also commissioning editor at Channel 5 and part of the team that led the broadcaster to commercial success culminating in its Channel of the Year award at the 2018 Edinburgh TV Festival.
Development Producer, Stellify Media (NI) Ltd.
Shannon is a development producer at Stellify Media. She entered the industry through Northern Ireland Screen’s Aim High Scheme in 2019. Since then she has worked across production and development in multiple genres, from true crime and access-led documentaries to comedy and entertainment series. Her development credits include commissions for BBC Three, Channel 4, Disney and Virgin Media and in 2024 she was named a Broadcast Magazine Hot Shot in the Development Producer category.