Sam Shetabi Email & Phone Number

London, Gb

London Area, United Kingdom

- Executive Director of the UK and Ireland's biggest podcast content department.- Lead for the market's video content strategy and resources. Devise the market strategy to bring creators to the platform, grow the region's podcasts, and influence industry-wide improvement.- Lead the region's Acquisitions team, focused on growing the UK podcasting audience, and deepening Acast’s footprint in market.- Lead the region's Partnerships team, with a focus on growing the listenership of shows and partner networks with forward-thinking content marketing.- Lead for Acast's UK Enterprise publisher operations, negotiating multi-year exclusive partnerships and managing high-level relationships with some of the world's top publishing institutions.- Promoted in 2024 to Executive Content Director after five years as Content Director.

London, United Kingdom

Development for Digital Platforms and TV, from Short-Form to Long-Form• Responsible for developing and writing non-scripted ideas with a digital focus, from ambitious formats to single documentaries.• Key platforms and commissioners include Facebook, Snapchat and YouTube, BBC Three and Channel 4 (inc. E4 and All 4)• Expanded the department's existing slate to new digital platforms, pitching to FAANG commissioners and other emerging players overseas.

London, United Kingdom

STRATEGY• Oversaw creative IP development for dozens of UK digital talent, extending influencers into TV, branded content and podcasts• Built and launched Gleam NewFronts, a global platform for prospective brand partners, to share our slate of sponsorship formats.• Devised and launched Gleam Podcasts, including three No. 1 shows, overseeing production, business model and day-to-day management.• Project-managed the first ever YouTube content syndication deal with an airline, partnering with Virgin Atlantic.PODCASTS• Producer & Editor for Gleam’s podcast network, reaching millions of listens in 12 months across three No. 1 shows.• Worked on each series throughout the process, from idea development and piloting, through to promotion and production management.• Co-ordinated the relationship between our platform and advertising partner, and Gleam’s senior management and podcast hosts.• Recruited talent onto the network, negotiating bespoke contractual arrangements between them and Gleam for monetising the formats.• Gave technical and creative support to the podcasters, from strategies for growing their audience, to audio production and editing.• Pitched bespoke sponsorship arrangements with prospective brand partners, to both individual brands and large multi-client agencies.• Oversaw a roster of freelance audio producers, hired to allow the talent to focus on the content of their shows and build their audience.DEVELOPMENT• Developed and pitched long and short-form content for both TV networks and brand partners• Worked collaboratively on content IP with the UK’s biggest digital stars, including Pixiwoo, Caspar Lee and Joe Sugg, from video to audio.• Taken major projects from origination to completion with global broadcasters including the BBC, Comedy Central, MTV and Food Network.• Extended IP from our podcast network into short and long-form video, including co-production partnerships.

Developing talent-focussed content and IP for traditional and digital platforms.

London, United Kingdom

Development & Production, BBC History & BusinessProduction:1 x 60 for BBC TwoTBA Christmas-Themed Business ProgrammeTX December 2015

London, United Kingdom

Development, BBC History & Business

- Promoted to Assistant Producer with greater editorial independence in Feb 2014, a year after starting in the Factual team as a Researcher.- Independently research, write-up and cast for my own ideas in addition my everyday tasks and collaborative idea generation.- Established relationships with contributors, and entrusted with travelling across the country to shoot casting reels.- Set-up often complex shoots with both individuals and businesses, before leading them on-location, producing sequences and interviews.- Experienced camera operator, entrusted with shooting numerous ambitious tasters with a mix of cameras, techniques and technologies.- Highly skilled FCP editor, having cut dozens of taster tapes to date, working independently or alongside directors and producers.- Developed a number of multiplatform concepts, from entertainment through to factual, using knowledge of current digital trends.- Provided support and assistance to the team’s new fortnightly work experience assistant, giving advice and delegating appropriate tasks.

- Invited back to the production after the Olympics to join the small team sourcing and collating American 1980s archive footage.- Responsible for the production’s accounts with a number of content providers; including Getty Images.- Negotiated 5-figure deals on footage and collaborated with dozens of archive libraries to find very specific material.- Sourced never before seen footage and images from primary sources in the US, for diverse subjects from technology to religion.- Responsible for ordering and assembling master footage using episodic EDLs, from numerous global providers.

- US-focussed 6 part history series about the major social, cultural and political moments of the 1980s.- Sourced precise information with multiple sources, interviews with experts and acute researching.- Thorough people finding of notable contributors never before found or approached by TV producers.- Booked A-list celebrities + high-profile public figures through agents and scrupulous people finding.- Responsible for researching new stories and writing extensive crib sheets to inform the story producers.

- Cast exceptionally challenging contributors to a strict one-week deadline, converting the funded development into a commission. - Tasked to unearth ‘off-the-grid’ men living in the wild required developing contacts quickly, within an isolated community.- Exceeded expectations by finding eight, rather than six, viable contributors for the commissioner to choose from.- A further week was spent writing detailed character profiles, from interviews conducted with people in exceptionally remote areas.

London, United Kingdom

• Developed fact-ent, features and specialist factual ideas for a range of terrestrial and digital broadcasters.• Helped cast contributors for a controversial C4 documentary in funded development. This included recruiting from forums and managing extremely sensitive access.• Used Skype to record video interviews with overseas contributors + edited into tasters for commissioners• Sourced stats, trends and case-studies for daily brainstorming sessions to flesh out and inspire new ideas.• Found on and off-screen experts + contributors for ideas in play and negotiated access with institutions.• Shot and edited numerous taster tapes, including a character-driven documentary for Channel 4.• Wrote a number of proposals for BBC, Channel 4 and Sky.

London, United Kingdom

• Development of my own cookery series concept. Taster + treatment sent to commissioners worldwide.• Responsible for shooting + editing numerous taster tapes and casting videos for development projects.• Project managed castings, involving complex scheduling and liaising with agents to book talent.• Researched and wrote treatments for original formats for BBC, Channel 4 and UKTV.