HRTS eNews - 03/31/2008 (Plain Text Version)
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Profile: Paul TelegdyHRTS Member - Executive Vice President, Content & Production, BBC Worldwide America
Q: Can you tell us about your background? What made you want to work in entertainment? Given my background, my natural entry point into the business was international distribution. Over the course of my time on the job, the international market has become incredibly important, not just as an outlet of the financial model, but also as a source of new ideas. After a fantastic tutelage at a small production company in the UK, I joined the BBC. My move into the BBC took me closer to program-making and program-makers, the people with whom I have partnered in a career to fulfill the value of that content. The sole purpose of the U.S. operation is to move profits back into the BBC’s general funding matrix, which funds what is widely acknowledged to be a pretty important group of programs in the UK. Q: What is your typical day like at BBC Worldwide America? Because of the network and production companies we are building, I increasingly speak with those in other countries. If you’re going to make “Dancing with the Stars” a hit, you may as well make it a hit in 28 countries. This provides a nice counterpoint to any suggestion that LA is parochial and inward-looking. In fact, we get audience insights from India, the UK and throughout the world. I don’t think it’s an atypical day, and I won’t await violin music when I say I get up at 6AM and go to bed at 10PM, a lot of people do this. I am very lucky to enjoy working with a fantastic team of people, a league of extraordinary gentlemen and gentlewomen. Q: Can you give some idea of the growth of your business? Q: Can you tell us about your current hit “Dancing with the Stars” and upcoming project “Top Gear”? “Top Gear” is a massive hit in the UK; it’s a monster. From a cultural point of view, you would expect it to be a huge hit in the United States: very clear format, well structured and huge numbers in the UK. We’re making it for NBC, which we see as a great piece of real estate for it. Q: Where do you want your business to be in five years' time? Q: Anything you would like to add? |