Lucy McNally

Background

About Lucy McNally

As Head of Development at HTM Television, I am responsible for overseeing our expansive, diverse slate of scripted drama projects. This involves being across dozens of projects at a time. I am involved in seeing a project through from its genesis to pitching stage, which means working closely with writers to refine their idea and script to maximise its chance of securing a commission with a broadcaster or platform, alongside our in-house Executive Producers and our Creative Directors, Jed Mercurio and Jimmy Mulville. I am the primary point of contact for every member of our team when they are seeking updates on the status of a project, including the most recent feedback given to a writer and the planned strategy for taking it to market. I am also in charge of delegating workload for staff who play a crucial support role in our team, such as Development Assistants who create pitch decks to accompany scripts, from short visual documents to curated videos establishing tone, themes and story. Our slate is an exciting, varied mix of genres with a primary focus on fast-paced thrillers and distinct procedurals. As part of my role at HTM, I have worked as Story Producer on three of our shows, including our highest-rating show Trigger Point, Series One and Two. Series One was the best-performing show for ITV in 2022, bringing in close to 10 million viewers and winning the National Television Award for Best New Drama. I was also Story Producer on Payback (ITV) and DI Ray S1. Working as a Story Producer in production enabled me to step up my editorial skills; routinely pitching episode ideas to our Executive Producer, conducting the necessary research, and ensuring our writers met deliverable dates. My role requires me to be across market trends and viewing habits in all the territories we work in; the UK, the US, Australia, Canada and Europe. I am regularly required to pitch our projects in meetings with commissioners in all of those territories, including pitching ideas with a view to securing funded development from a third party such as a studio.