Derren Lawford

Founder
Dare Pictures

Derren is a seasoned media executive with over 25 years of experience across journalism, television, and digital storytelling. A trained journalist, he spent over a decade at the BBC where he helped launch a radio station, an SVOD service, secured documentary commissions and was an early champion of short-form documentaries, mentoring talents like Jamal Edwards on Jail Tales, which featured Ashley Walters and Daniel Kaluuya. After the BBC, Derren led content at award-winning agency Livity, producing digital and branded content for YouTube, Channel 4, and Public Health England. He was featured in the Powerlist’s Under 40 and later joined London Live as a commissioner working across unscripted and scripted specials and series. As Creative Director at Woodcut Media, he secured over 300 hours of programming, including two Idris Elba co-productions acquired by Netflix. In 2022, he contributed to the BAFTA-winning The Black Cop and launched DARE Pictures, which stands for diversity, allyship, representation and empowerment. His EP credits at DARE include among others, Fugitive: The Mystery of the Crypto Queen (Channel 4/Sky Germany), Geordie Stories: Sophie’s Fertility Journey (Paramount Plus), and Dalton’s Dream (BBC). In February 2025, DARE Pictures was named Emerging Indie of the Year at the Broadcast Awards.