Stephen McQuillan

Creative Director, Icon Films

I joined Icon Films in 2013 after 15 years of making a range of Documentary, Specialist Factual and Current Affairs programmes, primarily for the BBC. Having started in Watchdog in 1998 I moved on to produce films for The Money Programme, MacIntyre Investigates and Panorama. In Special Factual I produced the BBC2 drama documentary The Secretary Who Stole £4million and developed the series Can Gerry Robinson Fix the NHS for BBC2. After a rather enjoyable 4 year stint making documentaries and lazing on the beach in New Zealand (sometimes at the same time!) my family and I returned to the UK in 2010 settling in beautiful Somerset. After a second stint on Panorama I made a one off for BBC Three following young people caught up in the August Riots and in 2012 made the three part series Britain’s Biggest Hoarders for BBC1 before joining Icon. My career highlight was being verbally abused by TV’s “nicest” football presenter – the one famous for never having been booked – which as an Arsenal fan serves as a proud moment!

Susie Dark

Chief Operating Officer, Naked Television

Susie supervises all financial, legal, and operational aspects of the business. She has worked in senior production roles for some of the UK’s largest independent production companies, including Endemol, Mentorn, and Tiger Aspect, and for a number of international studio groups, including MTV and Fox TV Studios, where she was Managing Director of Fox TV Studios UK.

Susie’s experience includes both editorial and corporate roles, and encompasses the widest range of genres, from Comedy and Light Entertainment (she produced The British Comedy Awards for 5 years), through Features and Factual Entertainment formats – not least Naked’s own 100% Hotter, Indian Summer School, and 21 Again, to well known News and Current Affairs franchises, including Question Time and The Big Questions – both for BBC1.

Susie lives in London with her husband Kevin and their two children Grace and George, and rows in her spare time for Auriol Kensington.

Camilla Lewis

CEO, Curve Media

Camilla has spent her career creating high-quality, entertaining programming for the world’s best broadcasters. She has created and overseen some of the best-known brands on British television including Four Rooms, Great British Railway Journeys, Escape To The Country and Grand Designs.

Camilla Lewis joined Cineflix at the end of 2011 as UK Managing Director. In that time she created and pitched returnable series, Claimed And Shamed and Help My House Is A Zoo (BBC One), World’s Maddest Job Interview (Channel 4), Trauma Doctors (Channel 5) and All Aboard East Coast Trains (Sky 1HD)

Previous to Cineflix, Camilla was the Head of Factual Features at talkbackTHAMES (FremantleMedia) where she oversaw the producer’s factual brands including some of the UK’s biggest rating formats.

Camilla began her career producing BBC factual and current affairs strands including Watchdog. In 2001, Camilla became Deputy Editor of Tomorrow’s World before being appointed Head of Factual at CBBC the following year, where she commissioned and executive produced all factual programming, including RTS and BAFTA winners. In 2003, she became an Executive Producer in the BBC’s specialist factual department, responsible for high profile, critically acclaimed output including, Trauma and Should I Worry About…?

Sara Geater

Chief Operating Officer

Sara Geater was appointed Chief Operating Officer of All3Media in 2015, joining the senior executive team created after the acquisition of the business by Discovery and Liberty Global. Sara works closely with the businesses in the Group to drive growth, both organically and through acquisition. She brings her expertise as an industry leader in television production, talent management, rights and deal-making to support and build the growth of the business in the UK and overseas.

Sara’s career to date has spanned TV, film and digital, in both business and creative roles and covers all genres. As CEO of Fremantle Media UK, she led a major restructure of the company, devising and implementing its “label” strategy,

Prior to this, Sara held the post of Head of Commercial Affairs at Channel 4 and Director of Rights & Business Affairs at the BBC. Sara has also held roles including Head of Film & TV at Avalon, Head of Production at Miramax Films and Channel 4 Drama’s Co-Production Executive; her television career began at LWT as a production accountant.

Sara is Chair of the Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television (PACT) and sits on the BAFTA Board of Trustees as Chair of the Commercial Committee. She is a barrister and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Mair Davies

Co-founder Avanti

Mair Davies co-founded Avanti in 1995, and has built one of the most successful TV production companies in Wales. In 2017, alongside partners Nine Lives Media, Avanti won the contract to produce BBC’s flagship series, Songs of Praise. In 2018 Sky acquired a majority stake in Avanti with a view to developing the business in the UK and internationally. Mair is a former Welsh Woman of the Year in Media and Director of Production at the company. Avanti is based in Cardiff & Manchester and recent credits include; The Mobo’s C5, The Paras: Men of War ITV1, Skeletons of the Mary Rose: The New Evidence C4, Plastic not Fantastic BBC3, Jonathan S4C

Richard Johnston

Chief Executive Officer, Endemol Shine UK

Richard Johnston is Chief Executive Officer of Endemol Shine UK, the UK’s largest independent production company.

The UK group is comprised of a diverse range of production companies and labels which together produces over 2000 hours of content a year across a range of platforms. Output includes shows such as Big Brother, Black Mirror, Broadchurch, Fortitude, Humans, Hunted, Masterchef, Mr Bean, One Born Every Minute, Peaky Blinders, Pointless, The Island, The Fall, 8 Out of 10 Cats and many more including industry leading work in the digital and branded content space.

Richard was appointed CEO in January 2015 having overseen the merger of the Endemol and Shine companies in the UK. He began his television career in 1996 when he joined Bazal Productions, the independent production company established by Sir Peter Bazalgette, as Financial Controller. Bazal later became part of Endemol where Richard went on to hold a number of senior positions including Joint Managing Director, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer.

Richard is the recently appointed Chair of Creative Skillset, a Trustee of LAMDA (London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art) and is committed to improving education, training and access to the creative industries. He is also an elected member of the Pact Council representing the interests of its members across the UK independent production landscape.

RICK MURRAY

Managing Director, Workerbee

Workerbee (formerly Endemol Shine North) is a factual indie based in Manchester and Leeds. A true Northern success story, Over the last 6 years, Rick has seen Workerbee grow from its roots as a busy regional office of Shine TV, into an independent label within Endemol Shine Group with an output of over 75 hours a year for a range of UK and international broadcasters. Notable shows include: Idris Elba: King of Speed, Armed & Deadly: Police UK, Inside Bentley and Goblin Works Garage.