Breaking into TV Production: Lessons from Disney+ EMEA Promotions

Break into TV production: what Disney+ EMEA’s promotions teach students about internal career progression

Feeling stuck between study, side projects and the dream of a TV career? You’re not alone. Many students struggle to turn classwork and festivals into the kind of credentials streaming platforms actually reward: proven commissioning taste, cross‑functional delivery and visible leadership. The recent round of promotions at Disney+ EMEA offers a clear playbook for how that progression happens—and how you can design your resume, portfolio and network to follow a similar path.

Why this matters now (2026): context and trends

In late 2025 and into early 2026, streaming leaders doubled down on regional originals and local commissioning teams to grow subscribers where global hits alone were no longer enough. Executives who combine content judgment, relationship capital and operational know‑how became the most promotable. That’s what Angela Jain’s early leadership moves at Disney+ EMEA show: she recently promoted commissioning leaders who had both programmatic successes and deep institutional knowledge as she set out to "set her team up for long term success in EMEA."

"set her team up 'for long term success in EMEA.'"

What the Disney+ EMEA promotions reveal about internal career progression

The headlines name promoted titles and shows—like Lee Mason (Scripted) and Sean Doyle (Unscripted)—but the pattern underneath is what students should study. From these moves you can extract five repeatable elements that drive internal mobility at modern platforms:

• Domain expertise + longevity: Promotable staff know the market and have institutional memory. They’ve been around through the commissioning cycles and understand what works regionally.
• Cross‑disciplinary delivery: Commissioning isn’t just taste—it's budgeting, scheduling, legal, and marketing coordination. Those who understand the full delivery chain get elevated.
• Visible wins: Credits on a breakout local hit or consistently delivering a steady slate gives measurable proof you can create value.
• Relationship capital: Talent, agents, co‑producers and international partners matter. Internal leaders who maintain those relationships become indispensable.
• Adaptation to data and tech: By 2026, commissioning decisions are hybrid—creative judgment informed by audience data, metadata and sometimes AI‑assisted scouting.

How students can replicate that path: a practical, evidence‑based roadmap

Use the pattern above as a template. Below is a step‑by‑step plan you can start this semester and iterate for 12–24 months.

Step 1 — Map the ladder (1 week)

Before you rewrite your resume, understand the ladder at a platform like Disney+ EMEA. Typical progression for editorial/commissioning and production careers looks like:

• Assistant / Coordinator (entry) — supports development or production teams
• Development Executive / Producer (mid) — runs projects, liaises with creators
• Commissioning Lead / Head of Development (senior) — sets slate strategy
• VP / Head of Scripted or Unscripted (executive) — oversees portfolios and teams

Spot where academic projects, internships or student festivals map onto these levels.

Step 2 — Build a 12‑month experience plan (12 months)

Design a plan that layers skill, output and visibility. Below is a model timeline you can tailor.

1. Months 1–3 — Foundation: Take short courses in production, rights & contracts, and data for media. Learn basic production tools (Adobe Premiere, DaVinci Resolve) and a metadata/analytics dashboard (many platforms offer free tutorials). Start a one‑page portfolio website.
2. Months 3–6 — Create / Curate: Lead a short drama or unscripted short (student film, web series, or podcast). Alternatively, programme a student film festival or campus streaming slot—acting as a commissioner is underrated experience.
3. Months 6–9 — Industry experience: Apply for internships, assistant roles or remote PA gigs. Target broadcaster traineeships, festival internships (Series Mania, MIPCOM, Edinburgh TV Festival) and local production companies. Collect metrics: views, festival selections, budget managed.
4. Months 9–12 — Visibility & networking: Publish a case study of your project, host a panel with alumni or creatives, and do informational interviews with commissioning editors. Use the results to revamp your resume and LinkedIn.

Step 3 — Translate projects into resume currency

Executives promoted at platforms are assessed by results. Students must learn to quantify and narrate impact:

• Lead with outcomes: Instead of "Produced a short film," write "Produced 12‑minute short that screened at 3 festivals and reached 5k viewers; managed a £2,000 budget and a 10‑person crew."
• Use commissioning language: If you curated a festival stream, call it "commissioned and programmed a 10‑title festival strand, growing engagement 18% month‑on‑month."
• Show operational chops: list tools and processes (budgeting, call sheets, rights clearance, metadata tagging, subtitling) to prove full‑cycle understanding.

Step 4 — Network like a commissioning assistant

Commissioners promote people they trust. Cultivate trust by being reliable, curious and helpful. Practical networking tactics:

• Find alumni and junior staff at platforms—ask for 20‑minute informational chats and bring a specific question or two (e.g., "How does your team evaluate regional pilot shortlists?").
• Attend hybrid festivals and markets. In 2026, many major events retained strong in‑person components—use them to leave a physical one‑pager or portfolio QR code.
• Follow editors and execs on LinkedIn, comment thoughtfully on their announcements, and share your case studies when relevant.

Resume and application tactics that mirror what gets people promoted

Hiring managers at streaming platforms search for signals that you can grow into leadership. Use the recommendations below to make those signals explicit.

Resume essentials

• Tailor to the role: Mirror language in the job ad (e.g., "commissioning," "format adaptation," "co‑production"). Applicant tracking systems rank keyword matches.
• Lead with storytelling: A two‑line professional summary that explains your value: taste + delivery + relationships. Example: "Development producer with a track record of regional scripted shorts, festival curation and co‑production liaison."
• Quantify achievements: Views, festival selections, budgets, number of episodes delivered, or partners engaged.
• Portfolio link: Include a short showreel or case study. If you programmed a strand, include a one‑page PDF with your selection rationale and audience metrics.

Cover letters and pitches

Write a targeted paragraph that answers: How will you help their slate? Mention a recent regional title they promoted (if appropriate) and suggest one idea or gap you can fill. Keep it concise and production‑aware—show you understand commissioning cycles and windows.

Practical skills and micro‑credentials to prioritise in 2026

As platforms evolve, the skillset they prize has shifted. By 2026, the highest‑leverage skills include:

• Commissioning literacy: script coverage, format evaluation, and adaptation rights.
• Production operations: budgeting, scheduling, clearance, and post workflows.
• Data fluency: basic audience analytics, metadata strategy and an understanding of how tags affect discoverability.
• Technical awareness: working knowledge of remote production tools, cloud editors and AI assistants for transcription and subtitling.
• Leadership & people management: running small teams, mentorship and stakeholder reporting.

How to gain commissioning experience while you’re still a student

Commissioning experience is the golden ticket. If you can’t get an assistant role immediately, build a commissioning portfolio:

1. Create a campus or local streaming slot and program 6–10 short films—document your selection rationale and audience metrics.
2. Run a themed short‑form festival or online season—call it a "pilot slate." Treat it like a commissioning brief: budget, schedule, delivery checklist.
3. Work with writers: run a short script competition and produce the winner—your role as commissioner/producer is resume‑worthy.

Networking script: what to say in an informational interview

Cold messages work if they’re short and specific. Use this 3‑line template:

Hi [Name], I’m a [course/year] at [uni] building commissioning and production experience (recently produced/programmed X). I admire your work on [title]. Could you spare 20 minutes to tell me how your team evaluates pilot slates in EMEA? I’ll send 3 quick questions or a 20‑minute slot—whichever you prefer. Thanks, [Your name]

Bring one tailored question and a one‑page snapshot of your work to the call. Follow up with a thank‑you and one concrete next step (e.g., "I’ll send a 1‑page slate idea as a follow up").

Case study: a hypothetical student path modeled on the promotions

Meet Aisha (composite): final‑year media student who wanted commissioning work. Her 18‑month path:

1. Volunteered to code and program a campus short film channel—acted as commissioner for a six‑title season.
2. Produced a 12‑minute scripted short that screened at regional festivals; tracked views and social engagement metrics.
3. Completed a 6‑week production operations micro‑credential and learned cloud post‑production basics.
4. Secured a summer assistant role at a UK indie; documented budgets and co‑production contacts—then used those metrics in her CV.
5. Reframed the campus curation role on her resume as "programmed and commissioned a six‑title regional slate, achieving a 30% engagement lift month‑over‑month."
6. Sent targeted messages to two junior commissioning editors at platforms; one led to an informational interview, and three months later she landed a rotating assistant placement.

Result: In less than two years, Aisha moved from student programming to an entry role on a commissioning team—mirroring the kinds of institutional progression observed at Disney+ EMEA.

Leveraging AI and tech—useful, not a substitute

AI tools accelerate tasks—transcription, subtitle generation, script formatting and metadata tagging. Use them to scale outputs, but keep creative judgement front and centre. In 2026, hiring teams value candidates who:

• Use AI to increase productivity (faster coverage, accessible subtitles).
• Know AI’s limits—especially for credit attribution and originality.
• Document ethical use (e.g., "AI used for first‑pass transcription; final edits human‑verified").

Signals that you’re promotion‑ready—what the promoted at Disney+ demonstrated

When platforms promote, they look for leaders who demonstrate:

• Consistent delivery: on time and on budget.
• Portfolio depth: multiple slate wins rather than one breakout moment.
• Cross‑team influence: ability to work with marketing, legal and partnerships.
• Mentorship and team building: building future talent pipelines.

Scholarships, traineeships and low‑cost pathways to watch (2026)

Entry points often come through targeted bursaries, broadcaster traineeships and festival fellowships. In 2026, many broadcasters and platforms expanded regionally focused schemes to cultivate local production talent. Action points:

• Check broadcaster and platform careers pages regularly (they post traineeships and short application windows).
• Use university career services to find partnerships and funded internships.
• Apply to festival fellowships and market labs—many offer travel stipends or virtual access for students.

Quick checklist for the next 90 days

• Create or update a one‑page portfolio with: showreel link, 1‑page case study of a commissioned/produced project and measurable outcomes.
• Register for one practical micro‑credential (production operations, metadata or data for media).
• Identify and message three alumni or junior commissioning staff for informational interviews using the networking script above.
• Plan and deliver one small curatorial project (a themed online screening, podcast season or mini‑festival).

Final lessons: think like a commissioner, act like a leader

Disney+ EMEA’s internal promotions reveal a durable truth: platform leaders promote people who combine creative judgment with operational delivery and relationship management. As a student, your job is to manufacture those signals early—by producing measurable work, curating slates, mastering the delivery chain and building genuine industry relationships.

Actionable takeaways

• Build commissioning credits even if they’re on campus—curating is commissioning.
• Quantify everything: metrics and budgets translate to credibility.
• Learn the full cycle: development, clearance, production, post, metadata and distribution.
• Network strategically—informational interviews, festival presence and targeted follow‑ups beat broad outreach.
• Use tech wisely—AI for efficiency, human taste for decision‑making.

Call to action

Ready to turn your projects into a promotion‑ready portfolio? Download our 90‑day TV production starter checklist and resume template (includes a one‑page commissioning case study format). Join the StudyTips newsletter for monthly templates, internship alerts and step‑by‑step guides to land that first role in TV production.

Related Reading

• Neighborhood Guide: Montpellier’s Hidden Villages, Vineyards and Coastal Day Trips
• Livestreaming Your River Business: Lessons from Big-Platform Engagement
• From CRM to Community: Best Tools to Manage Contributors in Open Quantum Projects
• Agentic AI vs. Quantum Optimization: Where Each Wins in Supply Chain Planning
• Quick-Dry Essentials for Mixed-Weather Summers: From UK Rain to Mediterranean Sun