Development Executive

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In film production, a development executive is in charge of reading scripts and finding source material which can be turned into feature films.

Like most corporations, there is a development hierarchy. As an example, a large production company or studio might have (in order of seniority, lowest to highest):

Story Editor (maintains script library, coordinates script readers and disbursement of coverage reports, coordinates interns)
Creative Executive (CE)
Director of Development (DOD)
Vice President (VP)
Senior Vice President (SVP)
Executive Vice President (EVP)
Senior Executive Vice President (rare)
President
Producer/CEO/Chairman

Development titles can be fairly arbitrary in smaller production companies, which may consist of a producer and development person, plus an assistant or two. Often in exchange for low pay, a producer will give his development person a higher title (e.g. DOD or VP), or if there's just a producer and assistant, then the assistant might get a Story Editor, CE, or DOD title. If it matters that much, just call and see if they answer somebody else's phone on a day-to-day basis.

Often a development exec is only empowered to say "no", so one's natural inclination would be to go straight to the top (or to whoever can say "yes"); however, just as often, that person at the top is inundated with material from more politically subtantive people, and therefore just ends up kicking the material back down to a lower lever exec. But since that exec will never get the credit for bringing that project in, the exec is not as incentivised to fight for it. So, if the material needs extra attention, sometimes it can work to one's advantage to find somebody lower down who can shepherd/champion it though the ranks more effectively than an outsider could.