Richard Life has worked for more than 25 years in the international television production, finance and distribution business in partnership with some of the world’s leading creators of scripted and non-scripted content.

As SVP of Acquisitions and Co-productions for Cineflix Rights, the UK’s largest independentdistributor of television content, Richard’s remit is to expand the company’s partnerships with production companies around the world, managing its multimillion-dollar annual investments in scripted and unscripted content. This includes working closely with producers to successfully create and develop projects which meet the specific needs of international buyers, overcome budget shortfalls by bringing in financing and get shows into production, and advise on editorial content and structure to ensure they maximise their international potential and become returnable brands.

Richard and his team have secured more than 2,000 hours of content for Cineflix Rights, including Apple TV+’s International Emmy Award-winning spy thriller Tehran, and Paramount+ Australia’s hit crime series Last King of The Cross. Unscripted series acquired on his watch include hit BBC brand Expert Witness, A&E Network ‘s long-running courtroom crime show Killer Cases, Channel 5’s Crimes that Shook franchise, and a package of mini-series on notorious serial killers for Reelz that have sold around the world.

Prior to joining Cineflix Rights in 2019, Richard ran consultancy Universal Corner, supporting independent producers and broadcasters to help develop, finance, distribute, and produce a range of series and specials. This included overseeing the development and financing of a highly successful slate of shows for Cream Productions in Toronto such as Discovery ID ‘s long-running true crime series Fear Thy Neighbor and Netflix mini-series Age of Samurai.

Richard’s previous roles include Head of Acquisitions & Co-productions at ITV Studios Global Entertainment, and Head of Programming at UK broadcaster Channel 4’s global division C4i. He has also worked in production roles at independent production companies such as September Films and Wall to Wall Television.

Speaking on: Genre Jams - True Crime