Sarah T. Davies

SVP, Development

Discovery Networks International

Sarah Davies is Vice President, Production and Factual Development, Discovery Networks International (DNI), a division of Discovery Communications, the #1 pay-TV programmer in the world.

In this role, she serves as the chief liaison between the development and production teams for Discovery Channel in the United States and their international counterpart across DNI’s five regional operations in Western Europe; the Nordics; Central & Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa; Latin America and Asia-Pacific. Davies works with the international production community to commission the very best factual programming for Discovery’s global audience.

Since joining Discovery, Davies has commissioned two DNI landmark series: the ground-breaking HOW WE INVENTED THE WORLD and DEADLY ISLANDS. HOW WE INVENTED THE WORLD explores the most iconic inventions and breakthroughs of the modern age using state-of-the-art filming techniques, cinematic CGI, and celebrity and expert interviews, involving ten bespoke spinoff series for key DNI markets. DEADLY ISLANDS, a blue chip natural history series, follows predator expert Dave Salmoni as he travels the world’s most dangerous islands to solve the mysteries of their animal ‘killers.’

BREAKING MAGIC was Davies’ first foray into pop-science and saw a brilliant cast of international magicians perform incredible feats that were revealed to be more science than illusion. It is one of DNI’s highest-rated commissions to date. THE UNEXPLAINED FILES melds pop science with the paranormal and mystery and is now one of the top-rated series on the Science Channel in the U.S. and a big hit around the world in key DNI markets. Both series have gone on to second seasons.

Davies is also responsible for commissioning BEAR GRYLLS: ESCAPE FROM HELL, bringing back to DNI a much loved talent in an all new and highly charged survival series, in which Bear tells the stories of true life survivors who lived through nightmarish situations and only just made it out the other end.

Davies joined Discovery in March 2011 from the BBC, where she led the development of all factual genres in BBC Wales for network TV. In this role, Davies developed the award-winning commission Between Life and Death for BBC One; Being Neil Armstrong for BBC 4; and Egypt: What Lies Beneath for BBC 1, among many other commissions across all BBC channels. She has over 20 years of production experience and was trained at the BBC's flagship current affairs series, Panorama. In her last year at the BBC, Davies was a part of the team that helped manage the extension of a joint programming venture with Discovery Communications.

Davies is currently based in Discovery’s global headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Speaking at: 30 Minutes With: Sarah T. Davies, Discovery Networks International (2:30-3:00); Taking the Plunge, Crossing the Pond