Biografia
An acclaimed film producer and writer, he is a former senior executive at major public companies such as Sony and has served as Chairman or CEO of several prominent independent film and television drama production and sales firms, including Portman (known for High Hopes and A Woman of Substance) and Zenith (producers of Hamish Macbeth and Morse).
Most recently, he produced the successful BBC One series Staged. His work is regularly featured on platforms including Netflix, HBO, CBS, BBC, ITV, and Channel 4. Films produced, financed, or distributed by his companies have been directed by Oscar winners Juan José Campanella and Marleen Gorris, Oscar nominees Agnieszka Holland, Mike Leigh, and David O. Russell, as well as BAFTA winners Jack Gold, Mike Newell, and Gavin Millar. Notable actors in these productions include Academy Award winners Christoph Waltz, Judi Dench, and Leonardo DiCaprio, alongside Jenny Agutter, Hugh Grant, John Hurt, Alan Rickman, Diana Rigg, Michael Sheen, David Tennant, and Samuel L. Jackson.
Award-winning writers such as Beryl Bainbridge, William Boyd, Malcolm Bradbury, Christopher Hampton, Arthur Hopcraft, and Charles Wood have contributed to his productions.
His projects have garnered over fifty awards, including BAFTAs, Emmys, European Film Awards, the Critics' Prize at Venice, and the Prix Europa.
Currently in development are adaptations of novels by Graham Greene, William Golding, Michael Morpurgo, and Samantha Shannon, as well as plays by Shakespeare and Marlowe, collaborating with top-tier screenwriters including William Boyd.
Drawing on extensive experience from his early career at the BBC—where he has returned after forty years—and roles at Sony (covering film, games, and music) and major studios like Columbia, Universal, and Fox, he mentors emerging producers on their projects. He also teaches at Oxford University and coaches aspiring applicants, particularly those from non-traditional backgrounds. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
His autobiographical trilogy, See Me, Sue Me, Sad Me! (also known as The Rage Quartet), is expected to be released in 2022, pending legal clearance.
