Production Executive, TELUS Originals

Description

You’re a creative documentary professional who understands the realities of production and financing, and thrives in collaborative, purpose-driven teams. You care about stories that matter and are passionate about supporting creators from pitch to premiere.

Join our creative and high-performance team as we fund and support filmmakers to tell thought-provoking stories from B.C. and Alberta communities. We're also thoughtfully exploring new formats and platforms to deepen our impact.

You're a documentary insider who knows the landscape, respects the craft, and has genuine relationships in the documentary community. Traditional documentary is at the heart of what we do, and you understand why that matters. You also recognize that the landscape is evolving, and you're committed to exploring how we can stay relevant, expand our reach, and tell more stories while staying true to our values.

Our Team

The TELUS originals team funds and supports the production of compelling, locally reflective, social purpose documentaries and docu-series that connect stories from established B.C. and Alberta-based producers to diverse audiences. We prioritize representation in front of and behind the camera.

We are a team of highly skilled, diverse, inclusive and passionate people who encompass a variety of identities and lived experiences, as well as decades of combined professional experience in film/TV production, business affairs, film festival programming, marketing and community engagement.

Our small team of Production Executives works collaboratively with producers, providing end-to-end support through concept development, pre-production, production and post-production. This includes a creative notes process.

The films we fund are made available to subscribers on TELUS Optik TV, and to global communities on digital platforms, with the aim of providing access to the highest quality local programming.

Hyperlocal and reflective content is our passion. That's not the only reason we've been doing this work for over 10 years. TELUS contributes funds to local production in accordance with our Conditions of License (COL) as governed by the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)'s regulations regarding locally reflective and relevant programming.

TELUS originals is a sibling program of TELUS STORYHIVE. Together they form the Local Content portfolio at TELUS. From time to time, TELUS originals team members also pitch in to support other Local Content programming.

What you'll do:

As a Production Executive, your contributions will advance equitable on-screen and off-screen representation by supporting original documentary production in B.C. and Alberta. You'll be driven by authentic voices speaking into, about, and beyond their own communities.

Your passion for documentary, critical thinking, and well-honed story skills will enable us to fund compelling, high-quality documentaries and docu-series that Canadians want to watch in the following areas of impact:

• Community
• Connectivity
• Health
• Food sustainability
• Planetary well-being

Our stories have global resonance, but they start close to home. One hundred percent of the stories we tell have an authentic story nexus in British Columbia or Alberta.

Producer Outreach, Pitch Submission Support & Evaluation

• Build authentic relationships with B.C. and Alberta-based producers and filmmakers, particularly those doing innovative, boundary-pushing work
• Be active in the documentary community: attend festivals, engage with industry conversations, and represent TELUS originals as a thoughtful, creatively-driven funder
• Evaluate submissions with a critical eye for craft, vision, and storytelling. Understand what makes a documentary film or series resonate—both with festival audiences and with broad audiences
• Assess pitches for their potential to win awards and festivals, while also considering their appeal to wider audiences
• Evaluate the production team’s experience and capability to deliver the project as pitched
• Challenge us to evolve: bring emerging trends, new formats, and fresh approaches to how we think about documentary

Business Affairs & Project Management

• Manage business affairs with producers, including reviewing chain of title documents, budgets and production schedules as well as drafting contracts and processing accounts payable
• Guide productions from greenlight to delivery with regular check-ins, milestone reviews, and collaborative problem-solving
• Oversee the delivery of final projects and coordinate hand-off to marketing for release
• Manage footage requests, the TELUS originals inbox, and the online pitch submission process

Post-Production & Creative Notes

• Provide constructive, detailed creative notes to producers at key milestones (rough cut, fine cut, picture lock)
• Adapt feedback processes to the needs of individual projects while balancing TELUS requirements
• Bring a strong creative perspective to the notes process. You understand what works in documentaries and why

Program Evolution & Strategy

• Collaborate with the team to thoughtfully explore how new mediums, formats, and platforms can expand our reach and impact while keeping traditional documentary at its core
• Stay connected to the documentary landscape and bring insights that help us evolve our commissioning strategy
• Help build and protect the TELUS originals brand, one that filmmakers and audiences trust and respect

Qualifications

What you bring:

• Genuine connections in the documentary community (festivals, networks, filmmaker circles, industry conversations)
• A strong point of view about what makes documentaries work, and the ability to articulate it
• Experience evaluating and developing documentary projects from concept through completion
• Ability to assess pitches for their potential to win awards and festivals, while also considering their appeal to wider audiences
• Strong, practical knowledge of Canadian film and television financing, including demonstrated experience assessing production budgets as well as an understanding of how federal and provincial tax credit processes integrate into production budgets
• Demonstrate experience navigating institutional or corporate environments, with the ability to balance creative vision and business imperatives in support of TELUS' strategic goals
• Comfort with ambiguity and evolution; you understand that the documentary landscape is changing and you're committed to staying relevant while keeping traditional documentary at our core
• Strategic thinking about brand, audience, and impact. You understand how to build a funder's reputation
• A collaborative, gritty approach: you roll up your sleeves, you're resourceful, and you bring authenticity to everything you do
• A reliable self-starter who thrives in collaborative environments, comfortable working with producers, corporate leaders, community partners, and cross-functional teams
• Strong communication skills and the ability to provide thoughtful, nuanced feedback
• Commitment to equity best practices as set forth by the Indigenous Screen Office, Black Screen Office, Racial Equity Screen Office, Disability Screen Office, and imagineNATIVE's On-Screen Protocols + Pathways
• You have reliable high-speed internet, and are able to travel occasionally for in-person meetings and events

Great to have:

• Experience liaising with production executives, commissioning editors, or funders through production and post-production
• Experience in documentary festival programming, curation, or criticism
• Background in emerging media or digital storytelling formats
• Cultural safety, decolonization, or anti-racism training