As General Manager, Valerie Bruce spearheads all of BBC Studios’ Los Angeles production activities to drive commercial growth. Bruce leads a seasoned team of Los Angeles-based creative producers working at the highest level on developing original programming – including the Emmy Award®-winning Life Below Zero and three spin-off series, Life Below Zero: First Alaskans, Life Below Zero: Next Generation and Port Protection, all airing on National Geographic, through a long-term production partnership with BBC Studios LA Productions. Under Bruce’s leadership, the established Los Angeles production arm has produced the Emmy Award-winning powerhouse Dancing with the Stars on ABC which recently became the first live series on Disney+, the hit game show Weakest Link on NBC hosted by Jane Lynch, the comedy series When Nature Calls with Helen Mirren on ABC, Top Gear America on MotorTrend, the true crime documentary Murder Among the Mormons which garnered critical acclaim on Netflix, Breaking Bobby Bones on National Geographic, and the original format Ex-Rated hosted by Andy Cohen on Peacock.
Bruce also leads the Los Angeles scripted team, which executive produces a trio of broadcast comedies: Ghosts which has become a break out hit on CBS, based on the popular BBC show of the same name (produced by Monumental Television in the UK), fan favorite Call Me Kat on Fox, the U.S. adaptation of the BBC series Miranda, and Welcome to Flatch on Fox, inspired by the BAFTA-winning format This Country. Bruce and her team collaborate with BBC Studios’ in-house production division and independent producers in the UK - including those invested in by BBC Studios - on formats and original programs for the U.S. market.
Bruce has a proven track record of success at BBC Studios, where she has held executive leadership roles for over a decade. She originally joined as Senior Vice President, Business Affairs, BBC AMERICA in 2011, where she negotiated unscripted and scripted series deals for the channel, including the Emmy Award-winning Orphan Black. In 2016, Bruce joined the production team as Senior Vice President, Commercial Director, and was later promoted to Executive Vice President, Commercial Director, responsible for driving all business initiatives for the Los Angeles-based studio. In that role, Bruce led negotiations on first-look deals with Lionsgate. The Lionsgate partnership, launched in fall 2018, led to two full series pick-ups: Ghosts by CBS and Welcome to Flatch by Fox. Bruce has actively managed internal and external relations with the studio’s creative talent since she joined the production team in 2016.
Prior to BBC Studios, Bruce held senior executive positions with companies including FilmDistrict, Apparition, IFC, The Sundance Channel, MTV Networks, and Broadway Video.
Bruce graduated from the University of Kentucky with a Bachelor of Arts degree and earned a Juris Doctor from Brooklyn Law School.
