A development executive could work in one of three fields: film and television, for-profit business, or nonprofit organization. As a result, development executive jobs have a wide range of responsibilities. To maximize an organization’s prospects, development executives must demonstrate a strong capacity for creative, outside-the-box thinking in all of these fields. Development executives in all three fields are always looking for new ways to improve their companies, whether it’s by expanding their client base, exploring new creative opportunities, or developing a new market.
A development executive in the film and television industries is responsible for finding and developing new creative material for motion picture productions. To come up with a working pool of ideas for production, development executives conduct creative research by reading treatments, scripts, and source material such as books or comics. This research can also include searching the Internet or watching television to “discover” new talent or ideas that have not yet been cornered by other businesses. Following the acceptance of scripts or proposals, development executives collaborate with creative teams to oversee revisions and create final drafts for production.
A development executive, also known as a business development executive, works in for-profit organizations to improve a company’s capacity. Business development’s ultimate goal is to assist a company in generating more revenue, which can be accomplished in a variety of ways. Business development executives’ responsibilities include scouting new client prospects in order to increase revenue, developing organizational infrastructure to accommodate increased client loads, and developing strategic plans for expanding into new markets and types of accounts. This position necessitates the cooperation of all departments, particularly those that have a direct impact on a company’s bottom line, such as sales and finance. Business development executives also collaborate closely with marketing and customer service departments to ensure that all opportunities for economic advancement are addressed with innovative and effective solutions.
Development executives are in charge of general fundraising efforts in nonprofits, such as grant cultivation and individual donor management. A development executive can oversee a large department that includes designers, grant writers, public relations specialists, and event planners in some nonprofits, especially small community organizations. In larger organizations, such as hospitals or educational institutions, a development executive can oversee a large department that includes designers, grant writers, public relations specialists, and event planners. Fundraising, cause marketing, direct mail campaigns, grant prospecting, and social media management are all examples of nonprofit development. Marketing, public relations outreach, special events, and donor management are all examples of what it can entail.