HBO Max International Content SVP Jen Kim Teases More Global Projects – Edinburgh

Peter White
·2 min read

HBO Max launched with a slew of British series and that shows no sign of slowing down as international originals chief Jen Kim outlined some of her upcoming projects for the nascent streamer.

Kim, who is SVP for International Originals for HBO Max, was speaking on a virtual Edinburgh International TV Festival panel moderated by Deadline.

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She teased a few upcoming original projects including co-productions such as a six-part “action mystery thriller” and a reality competition series as well as a comedy pilot with a British comedian.

HBO Max has two major British co-productions in the works – Russell T. Davies’ drama Boys, set in the 1980s under the backdrop of the AIDs crisis, and Starstruck from New Zealand-born comedian Rose Matafeo.

Kim (left) said, “We started out with the idea of maybe 5-10 from co-productions, pre-buys and originally commissioned content. We’ve expanded and we’ve tried to take on the approach to develop directly with creators, that’s an important thing for me. I want to work creatively closely with the talent.”

“If there is something out there that speaks to an underrepresented audience, diverse voices and interesting subculture, those are things I gravitate towards. On the flip side, we want to make sure that we’re broadening out our content and finding things that feel accessible and are a little bit bigger in scope,” she added. “It’s a balance between finding these really beautiful, authored stories and finding these bigger, more commercial stories.”

Kim, who told Deadline that her role hadn’t changed following the departure of high-profile execs including Bob Greenblatt and Kevin Reilly, highlighted her international commissioning team.

Her division includes former Epix exec Emily Smith and former Endemol Shine exec Andrea Puig, who both joined in March, as well as Kaeal Barnes.

She said while “everything is changing all of the time”, HBO Max will continue to commission its international originals out of the U.S.

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