Sally Brown to depart BT Sport

Sally Brown is to leave BT Sport at the end of the month, after being with the broadcaster since its inception in 2013.

Most recently, Brown had been executive producer and commissioning editor for BT Sport Films since 2017, working on films such as Broadcast Sport Awards winner Meatball Molly, and 40 more titles. Since 2018, she has also been a member of the BT Sport senior management team. Before BT Sport Films, she had created and produced weekly live UFC magazine show Beyond The Octagon. 

Brown will leave the company at the same time as director of mobile and immersive Matt Stagg, and shortly before the broadcaster rebrands as TNT Sports from July of this year. The rebrand is a result of the joint venture formed between BT Sport and Warner Bros. Discovery, which will eventully see it merge with Eurosport. 

Brown told Broadcast Sport of her departure: “May 31^st is my last day at BT Sport. It’s been 10 years and I have loved every minute.

“I started at the beginning – in 2013 – where I created and produced a weekly, Live UFC studio magazine show with an audience – I had a small budget but big ideas and my wonderful production team, including presenter Caroline Pearce and pundit Gareth A Davies, were up for the ride. It was an amazing period of growth for the sport in the UK and I was at the heart of (and directed) The McGregor Effect.

“Next, I took on BT Sport Films. I’d been involved in directing a couple before the channel launched and was determined for the business to expand in this area. I really believed in it and wanted to drive it – we were doing what other sports broadcasters weren’t. I was made Executive Producer and commissioned both internally and externally, working closely with some very talented Producers and Directors over the next 7 years. Our tagline being to tell “stories that matter”, we were proud to win awards, critical acclaim, and audience adoration. The strategy was “evergreen” titles linked to our rights for audience retention, and it worked very well. There are some 40 titles still relevant to this day and our subscribers have watched them over and over – when sport stopped in lockdown, BT Sport Films was at the heart of the conversation.

“I look for multiple layers in storytelling and a rock-solid plan from the get-go. The “what” and the “why” are the easy parts but so many people struggle to communicate “how” they’re going to tell a story. Of course, sometimes stories evolve or change completely but the very best filmmakers are the ones who never forget to challenge their approach daily - “What is the real point of this film? What am I trying to say and how do I want my audience to feel? Is everything in it acutely relevant to my story?” I am a big fan of a non-linear approach – it keeps your viewers gripped and surprised. Find the right beats and, importantly, at the right time. Directors Isobel Williams and Daryl Goodrich are experts at this. I’m proud that BT Sport Films is a brand associated with quality. I have a colleague who’ll introduce me to people saying, “Meet Sally – she’s great but she’s fussy”, Ha-ha! I take it as a compliment – how can your product be amazing if you aren’t fussy?

“People often ask me which is my favourite, but I couldn’t possibly say – I love so many of them – it’s like being asked to pick your favourite child…

“The first documentary I exec-ed was Rocky and Wrighty: From Brockley to the Big Time – a football film, sure, but much more than that, a film about an unbreakable friendship – you could even say a love story. We took our time to get it right and it was so worth it. Shoulder to Shoulder is a cracker and where I first got to work with the amazing Isobel Williams, Mark Sharman, Brian O’Driscoll, Craig and Keith Doyle. An Irish rugby film about much more than rugby – a film that explores what it means to be Irish. When Johnnie Sexton mentioned the documentary in his recent Six Nations post-match interview following their huge win over France, it filled me with emotion and pride – this really is a story that matters…

“Make it or Die Trying, Meatball Molly, Brothers in Football, Two Tribes, Team of the Eighties, Greavsie, Standing Firm, South of the River, True Grit, No Hunger in Paradise – I could go on all day…all my favourite children!

“I produced, directed and exec-ed lots of other shows too – too many to list, but it would be remiss of me not to mention Down the Clubhouse – what a joy that was. Elis James, Mike Bubbins and Steff Garrero could keep me entertained all day. I would sit at my desk reviewing cuts and be, literally, crying with laughter and ask myself “am I really getting paid to do this?!”

“Since 2018, I was a member of the BT Sport senior management team and thank Simon Green and Jamie Hindhaugh for their unwavering belief and support.

“All good things must come to an end, however, and it’s ‘next chapter’ time for me. I’m excited to see what the future holds and wish those of my colleagues moving to TNT Sports every success – cheers!

“Do tune in for director Mark Sharman’s BT Sport Film Back into the Sunshine on May 28^th – it’s authored by the brilliant James Richardson and is a fascinating look at what happened to English club football during the European ban following the tragedy at Heysel.”