SBS appoints Head of Commissioning, Head of SBS Unscripted.

SBS has appointed John Godfrey, most recently Head of Unscripted, as the new Head of Commissioning, spanning both unscripted and scripted content.

Joseph Maxwell, most recently Head of Documentaries, is promoted to Head of SBS Unscripted.

John Godfrey (pictured left) has led commissioning across Unscripted for the last six years. He first joined SBS in 2008 overseeing programmes such as Go Back to Where You Came From, First Contact, Filthy Rich and Homeless, Struggle Street, DNA Nation plus formats like Mastermind, The Cook Up with Adam Liaw and Celebrity Letters and Numbers. He has also played a leading role in initiatives to support career pathways for screen practitioners from under-represented communities, and SBS’s Commissioning Equity & Inclusion Guidelines.

Joseph Maxwell (pictured right) will now overseeing documentaries as well as entertainment, food commissions and online content, including Alone Australia, Eurovision Song Contest and new and returning foodtitles. Since joining SBS in 2012, he has delivered projects including See What You Made Me Do, Who Do You Think You Are?, Addicted Australia, and most recently, The Australian Wars.

Bernadine Lim also becomes Senior Commissioning Editor in the unscripted commissioning team while Julie Eckersley continues as Head of SBS Scripted, next year encompassing Safe Home, Erotic Stories and While the Men Are Away. Digital Originals initiative continues with Latecomers, premiering on SBS VICELAND and SBS On Demand on 3 December.

Kathryn Fink, Director of Television, SBS, said: “SBS is delivering our biggest ever original Australian content line-up over the year ahead, with an innovative and dynamic pipeline of projects in development. We’re bringing together our scripted and unscripted commissioning teams into one creative powerhouse, overseen by John Godfrey has Head of Commissioning, to support our plans for the year ahead, and ambition for the future.

“I’m delighted to have John taking on this important role at this pivotal and exciting time for SBS, and to also have Joseph, who has been key in cementing SBS’s position as a leader in compelling and impactful documentaries, extend his remit to oversee all of SBS’s unscripted offering.

“Our content plans for the year ahead are unlike anything else on offer, underpinned by our unique purpose at SBS, and delivering more for Australians. We want to continue raising the bar, and I look forward to working closely with John, Joseph and the wider commissioning team to continue pushing boundaries.”

The appointments come into effect from today.