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Meet the Delegates: Leading Creative Companies

Leading Creative Companies headshots

Get to know more about the successful applicants who make up this year’s Leading Creative Companies cohort.

Leading Creative Companies is designed for Managing Directors, Business Owners and Senior Management Executives who lead indies based in the Nations and Regions.

Adrian Bate headshot

Adrian Bate, MD & Producer, Vox Pictures

Adrian has produced and delivered over 100 hours of Primetime Drama to all the major broadcasters in the UK working with a range of talent both in front of and behind the camera. He has co-produced with other European territories and the US. Previously Adrian ran the Film & TV division of Zenith Entertainment and has Produced and Executive Produced for both Independent Producers and Broadcasters including the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, and Sky 1. Award winning drama produced by Adrian includes: Cider With Rosie, Affinity, Two Thousand Acres Of Sky, Little Crackers and was awarded the David Puttnam Producer’s Award.

Alasdair MacCuish headshot

Alasdair MacCuish, MD, Beezr Studios

Alasdair MacCuish is TV Producer and Director with almost 20 years experience in the industry. He began his career at the BBC before founding Beezr Studios (formerly Bees Nees Media) in 2004. He now oversees a diverse slate of programming across multiple genres including factual, entertainment, childrens and live music, supplying multiple broadcast partners.  Recent credits include Tool Club for C4, Screen Grab for BBC Scotland, and the BFI supported Project Punchline for BBC ALBA. 

Craig Hunter headshot

Craig Hunter, Creative Director, STV Studios

Craig joined STV in 2019 and during this time has overseen a wide range of productions including: an investigative environmental documentary for Channel 4 called What Killed The Whale? and Specialist Factual investigation, Is Covid Racist?; and innovative six-part series blending factual and drama for Channel 4, Murder Island – the first production company to win funding from Channel 4’s contestable fund.

Craig has also overseen the growth of STV Studio’s popular antiques programming slate increasing the number of series from 2 to 7. He was previously lead commissioning editor for natural history and specialist factual at the BBC, commissioning programs such as Blue Plane Live and Inside the Factory.

 

Damien Smith headshot

Damien Smith, Managing Partner, isodesign

Damien is founding partner of Glasgow-based digital studio ISO. Comprising two sister companies ISODESIGN, which designs and produces large scale media installations worldwide and isoLABS, the research and innovation arm of the studio, exploring next generation applications of new technology. The studio originally specialised in motion graphics for television, commercials and film before moving onto spatial and location-based media. Previous clients include BBC, Channel 4, Tate, Science Museum, Titanic Belfast, Waldorf Astoria and the IKEA Museum, Sweden. Live projects include the new Carlsberg Experience, Copenhagen, The Book of Kells Immersive, Dublin, StoryTrails VR with Meta and a new interactive 360 degree film collaboration with Glasgow’s Tramway and artist Lucas Chih-Peng Kao.

Dave Donald headshot

Dave Donald, Managing Director, 14th Floor Productions

Dave is an experienced TV Producer based in Glasgow.  In 2020 he co-founded 14th Floor Productions and within weeks secured its first commission – an RTS Scotland Award winning documentary for the BBC.Building on this success, the company has since secured its debut series commission for Channel 4 and is a participant in the 2023 BBC Small Indie Fund.

In 2022 Dave was nominated by a BBC Commissioner for The TV Collective's Breakthrough Leaders programme. 

Dave’s freelance credits include ‘Location Location Location’ for Channel 4, ‘Grand Day Out’ for Channel 5 and the BAFTA Scotland Award winning ‘Last Commanders’ for CBBC. He is an alumni of TRC’s SuperSizer programme.

Dee Hendry headshot

Dee Hendry, COO, Honeybee Media

Dee has over 22 years of television programming experience and has played an integral role in delivering more than 150 hours of top-quality content.

Dee's visionary leadership led her to create and launch Honey Bee Media, and she has been pivotal in steering the business towards its goals through long-term and short-term strategies. Her forward-thinking approach and ability to adapt to changing market conditions have ensured the company's sustained success and growth.

In addition, Dee's commitment to diversity has fostered an inclusive environment within Honey Bee Media, Dee achieved a place on the 2022 Breakthrough Leaders programme – she is one of 50 black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds leaders who will help shape and redefine future leadership in the TV industry and act as a proactive catalyst for positive change.

Emma Parkins headshot

Emma Parkins, Creative Director & Executive Producer, Alleycats TV

Emma is joint-creative director of Alleycats TV, where her focus is UK and international limited series and returning brands.   At Alleycats she’s developed and run shows including Clive Myrie’s Italian Road Trip, Naughty and Nice: Sex Toy Britain, Raiders of the Lost Past with Janina Ramirez and the RTS winning Mandela and a New South Africa.  In her pre-Cats life she co-originated and ran the Google/BBC pop science You Tube channel Head Squeeze and Digging for Britain.

Platforms Emma has worked with include the BBC, Google, Channel 4, You Tube, Channel 5, Discovery Networks, National Geographic, RTE, Arte and the EU.  She regularly produces, judges and appears on panels at Science Congress, Sunnyside and Edinburgh.  Alleycats is currently one of 5 Northern Irish companies selected for the BBC Hot House scheme. 

Jackie Savery headshot

Jackie Savery, Founder & Co Director, Maramedia

Jackie is an exec producer with extensive experience developing and producing factual and childrens’ content. Co-founding Maramedia in 2010 she has jointly overseen the company’s growth into an award winning Scottish Natural History production company.  She was a lead producer on the company’s Emmy-nominated Highlands and recent credits include the forthcoming blue chip series Chasing the Rains narrated by Adjoa Andoh and the Stormborn trilogy narrated by Ewan McGregor.  Current projects include series for Sky, Love Nature & ARTE, PBS Nature, ORF BBC Scotland & Terra Mater. With a real passion for nature storytelling and starting her TV career at the world-renowned BBC Natural history Unit - Jackie has worked on 100 + hours of successful award-winning natural history productions. She has also recently completed an exciting new commission to transform Paddington creator Michael Bond’s cheeky guinea pig hero – Olga da Polga into a new children’s drama series. Jackie is excited by new ideas and collaborations and is passionate about inspiring, entertaining, and educating all about the natural world.

Ollie Durrant headshot

Ollie Durrant, Creative Director, Angel Eye Media

Ollie is Angel Eye Media’s creatve director and oversees their development slate, focussing on reality and popular factual formats. He is currently exec producing the global reboot of Say Yes To The Dress with Tan France for Discovery + and Dubai: Buying The Dream for 9pm, Channel 4. A documentary reality series about the luxury real estate market in Dubai.

Before joining Angel Eye in 2016 he produced a wide range of established factual entertainment / features shows such as Channel 4’s BAFTA winning Gogglebox, Bodyshockers, Secret Eaters, Supersize vs Superskinny and Four In A Bed.

In his early career, Ollie fronted some of the biggest dance hits of the last 15 years and has toured Europe, America and Australia with the likes of David Gue a, Nervo and Pharrell Williams.

Sajid Quayum headshot

Sajid Quayum, Head of Production, Caledonia TV

Sajid joined Caledonia as a trainee PA in 2002 and rose through the ranks to become Head of Production and a company director. Following a science degree and involvement in community Asian radio Sajid decided on a broadcast career. As HOP, Sajid is the overall manager of our productions and BBC Alba volume deal, our staff base and business affairs. He has grown his experience through international co-production challenges - from negotiation through contracting to delivery in different versions, languages and formats. Sajid keeps abreast of new technology and acquires and runs all our capital investment in equipment. Sajid has also contributed to ideas development. His contacts and ideas have now made us the Go To company for Scots Asian ideas with 4 commissions for the BBC as a result - Young Asian and Scots, From Syria to Scotland and Boots and Beards. Sajid has made presentations to the Scottish Parliament about the media industry and appeared on BBC2’s Newsnight on Muslim issues. He is Caledonia’s representative on Scotland’s TV Working Group.

Sioned Wyn headshot

Sioned Wyn, Creative Director, Chwarel

Sioned Wyn is a BAFTA/RTS/Broadcast winning format creator.  Her company Chwarel operates out of Gwynedd in North Wales where they make a range of content for BBC/C4 and S4C.  Last year Chwarel eas chosen as one of C4’s emerging indies, this year it’s been chosen to be part  of the BBC’s small indie fund. 

Toby Stevens headshot

Toby Stevens, Joint Creative Director, 141 Productions

Toby Stevens is an experienced and award-winning television programme-maker who is Co-Creative Director of 141 Productions, part of Objective Media Group.

He has a long track record in producing and delivering editorially innovative TV, from 'Room 101' to 'Weakest Link' through 'Comedy Connections' to 'It Was Alright in the 70s', the genre-busting sci-fi adventure gameshow/drama hybrid 'Last Commanders' and single doc ‘My Dead Body’.

These and others have brought him credits on BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Three and BBC Four, CBBC, BBC Scotland, Channel 4 and ITV Network, giving him experience in entertainment, documentary, children’s, scripted, discussion shows, comedy, panel shows, quiz shows, magic and live events.

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TRC

TRC