December 12, 2007

British Invasion

Name: Garth Ancier
Title: President, BBC Worldwide America
Age: 50
Years in industry: 29
Years left in Industry: “15?”

Why Him? As the Fab Four themselves croon, “It’s getting so much better all the time.” Indeed, under Ancier’s  nascent stewardship, BBC America is making big leaps across both creative and corporate territory. Ancier made short business of restructuring his executive team to take the network more aggressively to the next level, creating a new executive digital media post and arming Paul Telegdy, who heads the company’s burgeoning West Coast production facility, with a 2nd production facility in New York that will focus primarily on cable programming. Original programming is thriving on BBC, including series “Hotel Babylon,” “Torchwood” and “Robin Hood.” Meanwhile, Ancier is letting go of more dated Brit fare such as “The Benny Hill Show” and “Keeping Up Appearances” while bringing long-running Channel 4 soap “Hollyoaks” across the pond for the first time. To convey its new, younger-skewing attitude, the network recently unveiled a new on-air and online look. As the new logo says, it’s “A little Brit different.”  CAO

I knew cable was for me when: “The economic model for network TV collapsed.”
The cable industry's biggest challenge in 2008 is: “A la carte networks.”
Top personal achievement in 2007: “Launching BBC World News America.”
Favorite restaurant: “The French Laundry, Yountville, CA”
Favorite line from a movie: “Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night.” -  Bette Davis in All About Eve.
Favorite piece of tech: “Snell & Wilcox Alchemist Ph.C-HD Cross Converter.”


Click here to go to the next entry
Click here to go to the previous entry
Click here to return to the 2007 CableFAX 100 list