Media Parents

Monthly Archives: October 2015

Arrow Media meets Media Parents photos

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Many thanks to Arrow Media’s Exec Team for throwing open Arrow Media’s HQ to 60 Media Parents freelancers last week – great to hear that Arrow Media has subsequently employed some Media Parents freelancers and will be keeping in touch with many more. MD Iain Pelling personally welcomed everyone, and Joint Creative Director John Smithson spoke to greet everyone and introduce the exec team. We then dispersed to all corners of Arrow Media to meet and talk, it was great to be invited into so much of the building. Here are some of the photos, more are shared in our twitterfeed @mediaparents and on facebook.

John Smithson, Arrow Media's Joint Creative Director, greets the room at Arrow's London HQ.

Arrow Media MD Iain Pelling not only worked the whole room, he met every Media Parents freelancer attending throughout the whole Arrow Media building.

Arrow Media Execs Ash Potterton and Nick Metcalfe amongst the Media Parents crowd.

It was pretty packed! 60 Media Parents freelancers then dispersed around the building to meet the Arrow Media Exec Team.

Arrow Media's Talent Exec Dawn Beresford meets a Media Parents Editor in post production. Huge thanks to Dawn for suggesting this event.

Thanks to very new father and Exec Ash Potterton for joining us - congratulations on the new arrival!

Media Parents Back to Work freelancers waiting to meet Ash Potterton.

Media Parents freelancers networking in the basement at Arrow Media.

Arrow Media Joint Creative Directors John Smithson (right), Tom Brisley (centre) and Exec Nick Metcalfe meet Media Parents freelancers in the board room.

Media Parents Production Manager Rashpal Dhaliwal spotted hard at work in the Arrow Media office! http://www.mediaparents.co.uk/freelancers/9063/rashpal-dhaliwal

Arrow's Head of Features Oliver Wright meeting a freelancer on the third floor.

Executive Producer Thomas Viner with a Media Parents freelancer.

Production Executive Carrie Pettifer meets Media Parents Archivist Tracey Li.

A good time was had by all.

Thanks also to Arrow Media's runners for smoothly facilitating the event.

Please join www.mediaparents.co.uk for great jobs, networking and events. The next Media Parents networking will be announced in the first week of November provisionally taking place on November 23rd, see www.mediaparents.co.uk for details.

October 22, 2015 @ 10:00 am Posted in News Comments Off

Arrow Media meets Media Parents Event 21st October

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We’re delighted to announce that Arrow Media will be hosting an event to meet Media Parents talent on October 21st. Arrow Media’s MD Iain Pelling and Creative Directors Tom Brisley and John Smithson (Sherpa, Touching the Void) will attend along with Arrow Media Execs Nick Metcalfe, Thomas Viner, Ash Potterton, recently appointed Head of Features Oliver Wright, Production Executive, Carrie Pennifer and Talent Exec Dawn Beresford. If you have features or specialist factual experience, and / or have worked for U.S. broadcasters then the Arrow team would love to meet you. The event was suggested by Dawn Beresford, Arrow’s Talent Exec, after she was so impressed by the Media Parents freelancers she met at an event earlier this year. The event takes place on Wednesday 21st October and applications are now closed, for details of our events please see the watercooler at www.mediaparents.co.uk

Arrow Media Creative Directors Tom Brisley and John Smithson with MD Iain Pelling will be meeting Media Parents on October 21st.

Arrow Media is one of the UK’s most ambitious creative forces.  A fast-growing independent production company, Arrow Media specialises in creating high quality and innovative content across TV, film and digital media from long-running series to big ambitious projects such as new theatrical documentary Sherpa, RTS winning Live from Space, ID ratings hit series See No Evil and NGCI juggernaut Ultimate Airport Dubai.

Founded in 2011 by Tom Brisley, John Smithson, and Iain Pelling, Arrow Media has created and produced hundreds of hours of adventure, science and technology, nature and history programming for the UK, US and International markets. Arrow’s clients include Channel 4, BBC, Sky, Smithsonian Network, Discovery, Animal Planet, TLC and National Geographic Channels globally.

who’s coming…

Tom Brisley, Joint Creative Director

Tom Brisley, Joint Creative Director

Tom Brisley is co-founder and joint creative director of Arrow Media, one of the UK’s fastest growing independent production companies. His creative vision and leadership have played an integral role in establishing Arrow as one of the UK’s most ambitious creative forces and expanding its portfolio of content across live, scripted, factual and factual entertainment programming for the UK, US and international TV market.

Tom’s recent credits for Arrow include the ground-breaking and RTS and Bafta digital award-winning Live From Space for Channel 4 in the UK and NGC in the US and globally; Battle of Britain – Return of the Spitfires for Channel 4; See No Evil, which broke audience records for Investigation Discovery in the US; Planes That Changed The World and Animal Fight Night.

Before setting up Arrow, Tom ran the factual TV output of Darlow Smithson Productions where he was responsible for creating and executive producing over 200 hours of high-quality television, including long-running series I Shouldn’t Be Alive; Richard Hammond’s Engineering Connections and the award-winning Seconds from Disaster. He also oversaw documentary specials such as Miracle on the Hudson; Concorde’s Last Flight and the BAFTA nominated Tsunami: Caught on Camera, as well as the Animal Planet drama Mermaids – The Body Found.

Previous to that Tom worked as a producer/director in the independent sector and at the BBC, where he started his TV career as a graduate trainee.

John Smithson, Joint Creative Director

John Smithson

John Smithson is co-founder and joint creative director of Arrow Media, one of the UK’s fastest growing independent production companies. Previously he was chief executive of Darlow Smithson Productions, a company he created and evolved into one of the biggest and most admired producers in global non-fiction TV. He has been nominated and won more than 50 Awards across film and television for his work.

In 2011 he was an Oscar® nominee for Best Motion Picture of the Year for Danny Boyle’s 127 HOURS, a film he originated and produced. He also produced Touching the Void, which won the BAFTA for Outstanding British Film and broke box-office records. He has worked as an Executive Producer on hundreds of hours of iconic television – from long running factual series to scripted films for broadcasters around the world.

Iain Pelling, MD

Iain Pelling

No biog.

Oliver Wright, Head of Features

Oliver Wright. Arrow Media Team Portraits by www.adrianlourie.co.uk

Oliver started his career producing and directing segments for a variety of US tabloid news and entertainment series that aired globally, then worked across a variety of hit documentaries, features and reality series for UK broadcasters.

His credits include series and development producer for Embarrassing Bodies (C4), series and then executive producer for Supersize vs Superskinny (C4). He produced and directed Daniella Westbrook: Eastenders, Drugs and My New Nose, which was a huge hit on Channel 5, series produced Make Me Perfect (ITV), and executive produced Superscrimpers (C4), The Sex Education Show (C4) and Snog Marry Avoid, which he revitalised with a new presenter and comedy elements for BBC3. Wright also co-created the body modification reversal series idea which is now Bodyshockers (C4). He also executive produced the show, which has since become a global hit and now airs in dozens of countries worldwide.

As Talent Executive at Arrow Media and CPL Productions Dawn is responsible for helping grow the companies’ output and scouring the industry for the top production talent.

Prior to this Dawn spent over 3 years as the Creative Executive at Shine TV where she initiated, designed and managed Shine TV’s graduate trainee programme; managed cross genre development for the Factual, Features and Entertainment departments and Exec Produced a series for T4 funded by the Department of Education. As Genre Executive for BBC TVs Factual Commissioning Department, she was an integral member of the team that brought the best in-house and independent sector ideas to the Channel Controllers and Exec Produced ‘Africa Kicks’, a season of documentaries for BBC 3.

dawn beresford, talent executive

Dawn Beresford

Dawn Beresford joined Arrow Media as Talent Executive in June 2014. Her role is to ensure Arrow is aware of, has the choice of, and employs the best possible talent across all its operations. Dawn is also Talent Exec at CPL Productions, an Advisory Board Member of Creative Access and a member of the  Independent Training Fund’s Advisory Group. Prior to this, she spent 3.5 years as Creative Executive at Shine TV and 4 years as Genre Executive for BBC TV’s Factual Commissioning department. Dawn has a production background and her credits include:- Series Producer, Lonely Planet, Discovery, Producer/Director Desperately Seeking Stardom, ITV, Assistant Producer, The Lying Game, BBC 2.

Nick Metcalfe, Executive Producer

Nick Metcalfe. Arrow Media Team Portraits www.adrianlourie.co.uk

Nick has been with Arrow for 3 years, running a broad slate of programmes including Ultimate Airport: Dubai (National Geographic’s global hit observational documentary series about Dubai Airport), Dogs: Their Secret Lives (C4), Survival in the Skies (the history of the space suit, ejection seat & parachute for Smithsonian) and most recently Nightmare on Everest (C4) about the 2015 earthquake in Nepal.

Previously Nick was an Exec at Nutopia, and Darlow Smithson, the show-runner on How We Invented the World (Discovery), Richard Hammond’s Engineering Connections (BBC & Nat Geo), Infested (Animal Planet), & Seconds From Disaster (Nat Geo) among others.

Thomas Viner, Executive Producer

Thomas Viner

After a career as a freelance director, Thomas joined Arrow very soon after the company was formed, series producing their first series, and being closely involved in production and development ever since. As an exec, Thomas has looked after shows for the UK and the US, covering science, history, crime, natural history, drama docs, and design, including Kevin’s Supersized Salvage (C4), The Genius Who Hacked Hitler (BBC2/Smithsonian), Animal Fight Night (Nat Geo Wild), See No Evil (ID), Terror In The Skies (C4) and World’s Most Extreme (Travel Channel/C4).

Ash Potterton, Executive Producer

Ash Potterton

Ash is an executive producer at Arrow Media.  Most recently he oversaw the two-part Battle of Britain event for Channel 4, The Day The War Was Won and Return of the Spitfires. Before joining Arrow, Ash was an exec at Dragonfly TV and then Silver River working across documentaries, current affairs, fact ent and specialist factual for all the main UK channels.  Prior to that, he spent a total of seven years as head of development at Love Productions and then Dragonfly TV, with commissions including The Great British Bake Off, One Born Every Minute, Filthy Rich and Homeless and The Baby Borrowers.

Carrie Pennifer, Production Executive

Carrie Pennifer

Carrie was recently made Production Executive at Arrow Media.  She has just completed work on her third series ofUltimate Airport Dubai for National Geographic.  During her time at Arrow Media she was Production Manager onseveral other series including Ultimate Warfare; World’s Most Extreme and Terror in the Skies.  Prior to this, Carrie worked at Brook Lapping Productions for many years, production managing such shows as Shakespeare Uncovered;  Putin, Russia and the West; Cameron Uncovered and Blood in the Water to name a few. She has experience working for all the major broadcasters on all types of production from Obs Doc to Current Affairs to large scale Drama Documentaries.

Please join www.mediaparents.co.uk for great jobs, networking and events. The next Media Parents networking is on October 21st with the Arrow Media team, see www.mediaparents.co.uk for details.

October 13, 2015 @ 11:32 am Posted in News Comments Off

media parents BBC Broadcasting House event photos

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Thank you so much to everyone who attended the Media Parents Pan UK Networking event at BBC Broadcasting House, 100 people came from far and wide to join us for a brilliant evening’s connecting. Thanks also to Helena Gardner and Paula Goldstein who hosted the event on behalf of the BBC Talent Network, and to the team from dock10 studios in Manchester who sponsored the evening. And BBC Daytime Commissioning Exec Adrian Padmore held Media Parents’ first Skype meeting… Our next event will be held on October 21st.

BBC Daytime Commissioning Exec Adrian Padmore holds Media Parents' first Skype meeting with SP / EP Ceri Rowlands from Cardiff.

At Media Parents we do everything we can to help people connect, so for our first regional talent event held in London we didn’t want distance to be a barrier. BBC Commissioner and former Media Parents talent Adrian Padmore skyped with Media Parents SP/Exec Ceri Rowlands in Cardiff at the event. We’re hoping that Skype can be a regular feature for people who can’t travel to future Media Parents events – although there’s nothing like seeing you in person!

100 Media Parents members from throughout England and Wales gathered to meet employers in the glorious Council Chamber of Old Broadcasting House

Huge thanks to BBC Talent Network's Helena Gardner (here meeting freelancers) and Paula Goldstein for hosting this event. We're delighted to say that the BBC were delighted with the event and we'll be invited back!

Thanks to Chris Hutchins and his team for joining us from BBC Bristol. A father of five, Chris spoke passionately about the need to support parents in the industry. Thanks Chris!

TwoFour's Sue Kenderdine travelled from Plymouth for the event, and Fremantle Media's Emily Gale was keen to meet people who would like to work in Amersham

Sky's Jamie Mezzasalma was keen to meet talent in all areas of production who would like to work in Osterley

SONY Pictures' Ian Critchley meets Media Parents David Coward (left), who got a job through Media Parents at Lime Pictures on Wednesday

Harriet Scott from Remarkable TV met freelancers who work out of Birmingham

BBC North's Sian Whomes attended from Salford

Patrick Steel and the dock10 team flew the flag for facilities in Manchester - check out their website and impressive client list

Media Parents Exec Jonah Heston got his Lime Pictures job through the website

Dragonfly's Nicky Searle meets a Media Parents freelancer

Media Parents freelancer Amanny Mo talks to Amy Gelber who got her Exec job at freeform through Media Parents

Media Parents' Kerry Jones (left) came down from Liverpool for the event

Jasbinder Kaur from Breakthrough Media was on a mission to hire

RTS Award winning team! TVPP Hampshire's Rosie Bowen-Jones and Media Parents Director Amy Walker

Huge thanks to everyone who travelled to this event and gave it their support. Our next event is on October 21st in Central London. Please see site emails and the watercooler on www.mediaparents.co.uk for details. See you there!

October 2, 2015 @ 5:27 pm Posted in News Comments Off