Production Director, Cinematics | Story & Franchise Development - Irvine, CA

Team: Story & Franchise Development Operations

Production Director, Cinematics | Story & Franchise Development - Irvine, CA

Requisition ID: R027890

Job Description

Blizzard Entertainment is seeking an experienced Production Director to lead the production organization responsible for creating world-class cinematic content that inspires and engages millions of players worldwide.

As a senior leader within the Cinematics organization, you will oversee the production strategy, operational health, talent development, and successful execution of Blizzard's cinematic portfolio, including game cinematics, trailers, promotional shorts, narrative content, and emerging storytelling initiatives.

You will lead a team of producers and production leaders while partnering closely with creative, technical, game development, and external production partners. You will establish scalable production practices, cultivate high-performing teams, and ensure that every project achieves Blizzard's legendary standards for quality, innovation, and storytelling.

The ideal candidate combines exceptional leadership, operational rigor, and deep expertise in animation, VFX, game development, or film production pipelines. They are equally comfortable developing people, solving organizational challenges, managing complex stakeholder relationships, and guiding large-scale productions from concept through final delivery.

What You Will Do

• Lead the cinematic production organization responsible for multiple concurrent projects across Blizzard franchises.
• Establish and maintain production strategies, workflows, and operational frameworks that support high-quality creative execution.
• Partner with creative and department leadership to define project goals, schedules, budgets, risks, and delivery expectations.
• Ensure projects are delivered on time, within budget, and at the quality standards expected of Blizzard Entertainment.
• Identify production risks early and proactively develop mitigation strategies.

Team Leadership & Talent Development

• Build, mentor, and develop a high-performing team of producers and production leaders.
• Foster a culture of accountability, inclusion, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Coach team members on leadership skills, communication, project management, and career development.
• Create succession plans and growth opportunities that strengthen the long-term health of the production organization.
• Lead performance management, hiring, onboarding, and organizational planning efforts.

Cross-Functional Partnership

• Serve as a strategic partner to Cinematic Directors, Creative Directors, Department Leads, Marketing, and Executive Leadership.
• Align production plans with creative vision, technical requirements, and business priorities.
• Facilitate communication and decision-making across internal and external stakeholders.
• Establish strong partnerships with game teams to ensure cinematic initiatives support franchise goals and player experiences.

Vendor & External Partner Management

• Develop and maintain relationships with external studios, vendors, and outsourcing partners.
• Participate in vendor selection, contract negotiations, staffing strategies, and long-term partnership planning.
• Establish clear production expectations, quality standards, and delivery processes for external teams.
• Monitor vendor performance and ensure outsourced work meets Blizzard's creative and production standards.

Operational Excellence & Production Innovation

• Continuously evaluate and improve production methodologies, tools, workflows, and reporting systems.
• Drive operational efficiency while maintaining creative flexibility.
• Champion best practices in project planning, resource management, risk management, and team communication.
• Assess emerging production technologies, including real-time workflows, AI-assisted production tools, automation opportunities, and evolving content pipelines, to improve team effectiveness and scalability.
• Leverage data and production metrics to inform decision-making and organizational planning.

Culture & Leadership

• Act as a role model for Blizzard's values and leadership principles.
• Promote an inclusive and collaborative environment where diverse perspectives contribute to better creative outcomes.
• Help shape the long-term vision and strategic direction of the Cinematics organization.
• Represent the production organization in leadership discussions and executive reviews.

Minimum Qualifications

• 12+ years of production leadership experience in animation, visual effects, game development, film, television, or related entertainment industries.
• 5+ years managing producers, production managers, or multidisciplinary production teams.
• Proven experience leading large-scale content productions from concept through final delivery.
• Demonstrated success managing multiple concurrent projects, priorities, schedules, and stakeholders.
• Deep understanding of animation, cinematic, VFX, or game development production pipelines.
• Experience working with external studios, vendors, and outsourcing partners.
• Exceptional communication, organizational, negotiation, and leadership skills.
• Strong experience building, mentoring, and developing teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience leading cinematic production within AAA game development.
• Experience overseeing global or distributed production teams.
• Strong understanding of narrative development, cinematic storytelling, and content creation workflows.
• Experience with real-time production technologies and modern content pipelines.
• Familiarity with production analytics, resource forecasting, and operational planning.
• Knowledge of Blizzard Entertainment franchises, storytelling traditions, and player communities.
• Passion for games, storytelling, animation, and cinematic entertainment.

Leadership Competencies

• Strategic Thinking
• Organizational Leadership
• Talent Development
• Cross-Functional Influence
• Operational Excellence
• Stakeholder Management
• Creative Partnership
• Decision-Making Under Ambiguity

Our Platform

Best known for iconic video game universes including Warcraft, Overwatch, Diablo, and StarCraft, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. ( a division of Activision Blizzard, which was acquired by Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment experiences. Blizzard Entertainment has created some of the industry’s most critically acclaimed and genre-defining games over the last 30 years, with a track record that includes multiple Game of the Year awards. Blizzard Entertainment engages tens of millions of players around the world with titles available on PC via Battle.net, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android.

Our World

Activision Blizzard, Inc., is one of the world's largest and most successful interactive entertainment companies and is at the intersection of media, technology and entertainment. We are home to some of the most beloved entertainment franchises including Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Overwatch, Diablo, Candy Crush and Bubble Witch. Our combined entertainment network delights hundreds of millions of monthly active users in 196 countries, making us the largest gaming network on the planet!

Our ability to build immersive and innovative worlds is only enhanced by diverse teams working in an inclusive environment. We aspire to have a culture where everyone can thrive in order to connect and engage the world through epic entertainment. We provide a suite of benefits that promote physical, emotional and financial well-being for 'Every World' - we've got our employees covered!

The video game industry and therefore our business is fast-paced and will continue to evolve. As such, the duties and responsibilities of this role may be changed as directed by the Company at any time to promote and support our business and relationships with industry partners.

We love hearing from anyone who is enthusiastic about changing the games industry.

We are committed to working with and providing reasonable assistance to individuals with physical and mental disabilities. If you are a disabled individual requiring an accommodation to apply for an open position, please email your request to View email address on click.appcast.io. General employment questions cannot be accepted or processed here. Thank you for your interest.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status, among other characteristics.

Rewards

Qualifications

We provide a suite of benefits that promote physical, emotional and financial well-being for 'Every World' - we've got our employees covered! Subject to eligibility requirements, the Company offers comprehensive benefits including:

• Medical, dental, vision, health savings account or health reimbursement account, healthcare spending accounts, dependent care spending accounts, life and AD&D insurance, disability insurance;
• 401(k) with Company match, tuition reimbursement, charitable donation matching;
• Paid holidays and vacation, paid sick time, floating holidays, compassion and bereavement leaves, parental leave;
• Mental health & wellbeing programs, fitness programs, free and discounted games, and a variety of other voluntary benefit programs like supplemental life & disability, legal service, ID protection, rental insurance, and others;
• If the Company requires that you move geographic locations for the job, then you may also be eligible for relocation assistance.

Eligibility to participate in these benefits may vary for part time and temporary full-time employees and interns with the Company. You can learn more by visiting

In the U.S., the standard base pay range for this role is $136,880.00 - $253,260.00 Annual. These values reflect the expected base pay range of new hires across all U.S. locations. Ultimately, your specific range and offer will be based on several factors, including relevant experience, performance, and work location. Your Talent Professional can share this role’s range details for your local geography during the hiring process. In addition to a competitive base pay, employees in this role may be eligible for incentive compensation. Incentive compensation is not guaranteed. While we strive to provide competitive offers to successful candidates, new hire compensation is negotiable.