On the heels of landing a new commission from Nine, Australian indie WTFN has promoted Michael McDermott to the newly created role of head of development.
The move aligns with the company’s strategy to expand its slate. McDermott developed and cast the new series Police Australia, which was recently greenlit at Nine.
McDermott has been with WTFN since 2020 as a development researcher. In his new post, he will lead development on new projects and work closely with WTFN’s various divisions, including the digital content company Radar, to ensure properties can live on multiple platforms.
Steve Oemcke, co-founder and chief creative officer at WTFN, noted, “Michael is a hugely impressive creative, and we’re delighted to promote him into this pivotal new role. He watches more television than anyone I’ve ever met, has a genuine fascination with audience behavior and combines that with a razor-sharp analytical mind that makes him look at ideas from a different angle. He understands what makes great television, but he’s equally interested in how, where, and why people are choosing to watch. That combination is increasingly important and makes him a real asset to WTFN. We’re excited to see him lead development and help shape the next chapter of our content strategy.”
McDermott added, “The way audiences discover and consume content is changing rapidly, and that creates a real opportunity for us creatively. I want us to be ambitious about the ideas we develop, but also forensic about who they are for, why they will connect and where they can live. Police Australia is a great example of an idea that started with identifying a compelling world and finding the right people to bring audiences into it, and I’m thrilled that Nine has backed the series.”
