About Dark Slope 

Founded in 2018, Dark Slope pushes the boundaries of motion capture-driven virtual production for television, virtual reality experiences, and immersive games. From it’s 8000 square foot studio, Dark Slope leverages its warehouse-scale virtual production stage with proprietary pipeline, tools, workflows and game-engine technology in order to bring world class creative properties to life. Based in Toronto, and with a global workforce, Dark Slope combines advanced technologies with compelling storytelling to reimagine the future of entertainment. Visit https://darkslope.com/ to learn more. 

About the Role 

This is a new leadership position at Dark Slope tasked with defining programs for a new, exciting and evolving genre of television dubbed ‘Hyperreality TV’. This role will oversee the development of innovative, creative, engaging new programs from ideation to the point of commissioning by unscripted buyers worldwide. 

The ideal candidate is well connected in the international and domestic unscripted television community;   has a strong track record in world class project/brand development to the point of project commissions;  is on top of emerging trends and needs of broadcasters, streamers and evolving unscripted platforms such as Meta; has great instincts and taste and has the willingness to take strategic creative risks. 

The successful candidate will:

  • Possess the ability to inspire the development of innovative world-class brands that leverage the latest in virtual production innovations.
  • Develop, foster, and maintain close relationships with members of the creative community (producers, writers, directors, studio executives, etc.), pro-actively engaging with them to identify possible productions for Dark Slope while remaining on the cutting edge of new trends.
  • Network and maintain contact with decision makers in the unscripted commissioning space through attendance of industry markets and festivals.
  • Excel at overseeing and delivering on the creation of world-class project packages in a timely and cost-effective manner.
  • Lead the internal development team and external development consultants to ideate on new concepts, and be adept at shepherding the creation of development materials needed to pitch these concepts.
  • Manage and allocate Dark Slope’s development budget to maintain a slate of genre-defining HyperReality shows.

This position reports to the President of Dark Slope.

The Head of Development will be tasked with creating best in class strategy in production to grow our development slate. Specifically, the successful candidate will:

  • Participate in early development of entertainment properties based on Dark Slope roadmap strategies.
  • Identify programming opportunities based on current cultural trends, ratings, scheduling opportunities and available formats to meet the needs of streaming partners and broadcasters.
  • Review and provide clear, specific feedback notes on rough cuts of all original programming.
  • Oversee a small team creating materials (such as visual and multimedia presentations, bibles and sizzle reels) that reflect programming opportunities and positioning strategies.
  • Lead the development of creative “packaging” and promotional strategies to create a sense of program continuity.
  • Collaborate with other key areas within Dark Slope in the assessment and development of potential properties, participate in tactical and strategic discussions with our Games team, Virtual Production team, television production team and Engineering team 
  • Manage and motivate a small team of employees and contractors.

Qualifications/Requirements

  • Minimum of 6-8 years experience working in television production and development with particular focus on Unscripted content. 
  • The desire to travel and participate at International festivals and markets

Desired Characteristics

  • Passionate about unscripted programming
  • Strong interest in innovation and the use of technology to enhance entertainment experiences 
  • Some experience and understanding of motion capture animation and/or the applications of game-engine technology to content creation
  • Deep knowledge of the needs of broadcasters and streamers, as well as authentic relationships with those buyers
  • A high level of cultural sensitivity
  • Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to lead cross-departmental teams 
  • Exceptional leadership and strategic acumen
  • Solutions-oriented thinker with strong analytical and critical thinking skills who is detail-oriented
  • Demonstrated ability to meet deadlines; handle shifting priorities and multiple assignments
  • Ability to successfully work with peers, colleagues, and superiors with a special emphasis on communicating creative goals and the value of intellectual properties to various constituents
  • Experience building a team and creating a collaborative environment that is inclusive and incorporates new voices and underrepresented groups
  • Aligned with Dark Slope’s values of  transparency, taking initiative and aiming for properties that ‘wow’ our audiences 
  • Proficiency in English
  • Preferably based in, or willing to move to, Toronto, but whose areas of expertise are not limited only to the Canadian TV market

Company Description

Dark Slope Studios is a Toronto based studio re-inventing the Reality TV genre using metaverse. From our virtual production stage in Toronto we create, develop and produce mocap-driven kids and adult animation. Dark Slope is dedicated to creativity and innovation, utilizing game engine technology to deliver the next generation entertainment experiences to global audiences. Our team works together creating content for NBC Universal, Nickelodeon, MTV, Warner Media, NBC, and TVOntario amongst others. We are now looking to build our team to help us create our next batch of exciting new entertainment properties!

What We Offer

Appetite for adventure? Bored of bureaucracy? Rearing for responsibility? 

If this speaks to you, Dark Slope is the place for you. We offer the opportunity to work on incredible projects with great people, break out of corporate bureaucracy and take on leadership opportunities. Our employees have a voice in our work to revolutionize the workplace and consumer entertainment with spatial technologies.

Where We Work

We work together in a new 8000 sq. ft studio in Toronto featuring a state of the art motion capture facility, located just minutes away from both Dundas West and Lansdowne Subway Stations. Our staff love our hidden XR and Virtual Production paradise.

Core Values

Our core values support teamwork and transparency that allow us to create more together than we could alone. Through ongoing learning and self managing initiative we seek to improve our skill sets, find better ways of working and ultimately deliver entertainment that make our customers say ‘wow’!

  • Find Learning
  • Design for Wow
  • Work for Teamwork
  • Take Initiative
  • Interact with Transparency

We are an employer who values diversity and inclusion. We welcome different perspectives that come from lived experiences. Interacting with transparency is important to us in every aspect of our work. We strive for an open, honest, and effective workplace because trust is the foundation of our company. We are open to thinking differently, accommodating your needs to succeed, and straying from the conventional.

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