User:Peter Urie
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Peter Urie has over 28 years experience in Television Production and related senior management roles, and has worked across a huge range of television programmes.
He joined the BBC in July 1976 as a graduate-engineering trainee, involved in the design and building of broadcast transmitters in the UK, gaining an invaluable technical knowledge of broadcast systems.
He moved into television production in 1978, as a floor manager at the BBC’s London television studios, television centre. In 1979 he became a Producer / Director for the BBC working on a range of location and studio based programmes including “Top of The Pops”, “The Two Ronnies” and it’s a “Knockout” as well as factual documentaries and series, both live and pre-recorded.
In 1981 he moved to BBC Bristol, as the Senior Production Executive of the prestigious Natural History Unit. His responsibilities included the overall control and management of the unit’s creative development, programmes, staff, budgets and resources (around £26m). He was also involved in the negotiation of International Co-productions including the writing of business / finance plans for the unit’s foreign partners.
In 1985 he was asked to move to BBC Pebble Mill in Birmingham, to help set up Daytime television for the BBC. As Head of Daytime Television, he was responsible for the overall management of all output including both original and acquired programming, some 30 hours of original production per week, some 80 staff and P&L responsibility for the annual budget of £120m. He was also involved in the commission of the first Independent production for the BBC outside London.
In August 1988 he left the BBC to join TVS as, Head of Factual Programmes. Working to the Director of Programmes, he was responsible for the overall programme output, management of staff, cash and resources (a budget of around £61m). In 1990 he became the Independent Commissioning Executive for TVS, and was responsible for the development, negotiation and commissioning of all Network and Local Independent programme for the company. He was asked to stay with TVS until February of 1993 (two months after the franchise ended) in order to continue to manage the Independent output to completion.
In August 1992, during the last year of TVS he also formed TSS Ltd (a production management company), and The Media Merchants TV Co. Ltd (with two other partners). A specialist children’s production company making network children’s programmes for both ITV and BBC. The company quickly grew into one of the largest Independent Producers of Children’s programmes in the UK and has won 17 national and international awards including two BAFTA awards and a further 6 BAFTA nominations. Under Peter’s control, the company was one of the fastest growing independent production companies in the UK and at the time he decided to sell, it had a turnover of over £6m including a successful merchandising division with a net profit before tax of around 46%.
In April of 2000, Peter led both TSS and The Media Merchants to a successful sale, worth in excess of £14m when both companies were 100% acquired by the then Britt Allcroft Group (later to become Gullane ENT. PLC), Peter, along with his two partners were locked into the company for a five year period as part of the terms of the sale. HIT Entertainment PLC subsequently acquired Gullane in August of 2002.
In addition to his responsibilities as MD of Media Merchants Ltd and TSS Ltd. Peter was appointed as, Senior Vice President, Group Head of Production (Europe) for the group shortly after the acquisition. He was responsible for all of the group’s European production activities including, such classic brands as Art Attack, Thomas the Tank Engine, Fireman Sam, Bob the Builder and Sooty as well as overall control of all programme development for Europe and P&L responsibility for the division.
Peter decided to leave his various roles at HIT Entertainment at the end of his 5 year contractual lock in period in January 2005, and worked as a consultant for a number of media companies. He also formed Pure Investments, a partnership that invests in property and media related companies in the UK, Spain and America and Star TV Ltd. a rights ownership and TV Production Company.
In August of 2005 Peter was asked to join the board of TV Loonland PLC as the Chief Corporate Development Officer, tasked with developing the business as a whole by expanding the company via acquisitions and organic growth. He was also appointed as Managing Director of Metrodome PLC, a separate AIM listed company that is approximately 83% owned by TV Loonland
