Michael Carrington (television executive)

Michael Carrington (born 1961) is Chief Content Officer, EMEA at Turner Broadcasting System Europe.

Early life

Born in 1961, in Campbelltown, New South Wales, Australia, his father is a direct descendant of Jacob Weins, a co-founder of the Mennonites.

Career

After working as a DJ on Radio Station 2PK in Australia, he joined the Royal Australian Navy as a communications sailor. Following a four year commission he joined the children’s department at Network Ten in Sydney, where he worked on magazine show "Ridgey Didge and game shows Double Dare and Family Double Dare.

On immigrating to the United Kingdom in 1990, he joined the Bought Films Unit at BBC television. A year later he joined the Discovery Channel Europe as an Acquisitions Executive. He was appointed Deputy Head of Programme Acquisitions in 1993 for BBC Children’s, latterly seconded to research and develop broadcast strategy for CBBC and CBeebies with the Deputy Director of Television, David Docherty.

In May 2000 he joined Create TV & Film as Head of Television and New Media, responsible for programme development and production, where he was co-executive producer on Little Robots. In 2004 he joined the BBC as Head of Animation & Acquisitions, where he gained broadcast rights over Lunar Jim and LazyTown. He introduced a strategy to commission more UK animation, which resulted in Charlie and Lola, Shaun the Sheep, Animalia, Tronji and The Secret Show. In May 2006, Carrington became Conroller of CBeebies, responsible for all the channels output across Radio, Television and Online; commissioning award winning programmes like In the Night Garden and Waybuloo.

In April 2010, he was appointed Chief Content Officer, EMEA at Turner Broadcasting System Europe, and General Manager of TBS Studios Arabia. Carrington serves on the Advisory Committee for Showcomotion and is a member of the British Academy of Film & Television (BAFTA).

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