Specialist, Business Development, APAC Experience

Storytelling is, and will always be, the heart of what we do at Skydance.
Our vision is to build a thriving entertainment ecosystem where stories and worlds are imagined, brought to life and experienced. We create for every age and audience, anchored by the strength of our content and experiences and the depth of our connection with fans. We are creator-first, audience-focused, tech-forward, globally scaled.
Here, you’ll work with talented teams that move fast, think boldly and collaborate with purpose to deliver results. We aim high, champion the best ideas and win together, earning the trust of our employees, creators, partners and audiences every day.
If you’re energized by the opportunity to help build the next-generation global media and entertainment company powered by creativity and technology, we’d be thrilled to welcome you aboard. LET’S GO!
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Your New Role
The Specialist, Business Development, APAC Experience is a BD role based in Shanghai, supporting the BD Senior Director, APAC Experience in growing Warner Bros. Discovery’s experiential entertainment business across the region, with a particular focus on China and Japan. This role is responsible for the detailed business planning, partner follow-up and negotiation support for deals sourced by the team, as well as the ideation of new business concepts and experiential product formats tailored to local markets. The role suits a highly self-motivated, entrepreneurial individual who is comfortable navigating ambiguity, is driven to problem-solve and find solutions, and has a genuine interest in the experience business, strong commercial instincts, and a good sense of local consumers and market trends.
Key Responsibilities:
Assist in the development of new and existing experiential business opportunities (Owned & Operated and licensing) across China, Japan and broader APAC, as identified by the BD team.
Assist detailed business planning and deal terms structuring — feasibility studies, deal economics, market sizing, and business cases — to support deal sourcing, structuring, and internal decision-making.
Coordinate day-to-day partner follow-up and coordination and support negotiation of commercial terms.
Contribute ideas for new business ideas, concepts, and support the development of experiential product formats tailored to local consumer trends and market opportunities.
Support market research and competitive analysis on APAC (with a focus on China and Japan) experiential entertainment, tourism, retail and consumer trends to inform product ideation and existing site operations.
Support relationship management with working relationships with local partners, developers, operators, and other stakeholders to support pipeline development.
Help prepare presentations, proposals, and other materials for internal stakeholders and external partners.
Work with cross-functional teams including Global Experience, Creative, Legal, and Finance teams to support deal execution and post-deal handover.
Support the BD Senior Director and wider APAC Experience leadership on ad hoc strategic projects and market analysis.
Experience required:
2-5 years of relevant experience in business development, strategy, consulting, marketing, or a commercial role, ideally within experiential entertainment, media, tourism, retail, or consumer-facing sectors.
Experience working with, or strong exposure to, the Greater China and/or Japan markets preferred.
Strong business sense and exceptional communication skills.
Education, Professional Training, Technical Training or Certification:
Bachelor’s degree required (Business, Economics, Finance, Marketing, Media, or a related field).
Competencies we are looking for:
Highly self-motivated with a strong sense of ownership; able to navigate ambiguity and drive projects forward independently.
Strong problem-solving and solutioning orientation; comfortable structuring and working through open-ended business questions.
Genuine interest in and passion for the experience / experiential entertainment business.
Good instinct for consumers and local market dynamics, with particular sensitivity to China and Japan.
Strong business and commercial sense, including comfort building financial models and business cases.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills; able to build relationships across cultures, functions, and seniority levels.
Fluent in English and Mandarin; Japanese language ability a plus.
Detail-oriented and organised, with the ability to manage multiple work streams simultaneously.
About Skydance
Skydance is a next-generation global media and entertainment company, comprised of three business segments: Studios, Direct-to-Consumer, and TV Media. Skydance's portfolio unites legendary brands, including Paramount, Warner Bros., HBO and HBO Max, Paramount+, Pluto TV, CBS, CNN, CBS Sports, TNT Sports, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, MTV, Food Network, BET, HGTV, and Comedy Central.
Some Important Details
We embrace the opportunity to build a workforce that reflects a wide array of perspectives, backgrounds and experiences. Being an equal opportunity employer means that we take seriously our responsibility to consider qualified candidates on the basis of merit. In line with the laws of the country or region in which the role is based, this includes consideration without regard to race, color, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship status, religion or belief, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, pregnancy, parenthood, physical or mental disability, genetic information, military or protected veteran status, union status or any other category protected by applicable law.
If you’re a qualified candidate with a disability and you require adjustments or accommodations during the job application and/or recruitment process, please visit our accessibility page for instructions to submit your request.