Amanda Sonia Berry

Amanda Berry OBE
Born 20 August 1961
Darlingon, County Durham,
United Kingdom
Residence London
Nationality British
Occupation Chief Executive, British Academy of Film and Television Arts

Amanda Sonia Berry, OBE (born 20 August 1961) is Chief Executive of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA).[1]

Early life

Berry was born in Darlingon, County Durham, the daughter of Tom (owner of a dry cleaning company in Richmond, North Yorkshire)[2] and Anita Berry. She is the eldest of three children.

Berry read business studies and graphic design at Newcastle Polytechnic,[2] and took a student job in the press office of Thames Television.[2]

In 1982 Berry left her studies to continue at Thames Television and then took a job at theatrical agency Duncan Heath Associates Ltd (which later became part of the International Creative Management (ICM) Group).[2][3] Clients included Christopher Lee, Ian McShane, Paul McCartney and David Bowie.[4] She left in 1988[2] as a Director with the company.

In 1989, Berry worked at London Weekend Television (LWT) as a researcher for light entertainment.[3]

From 1990, Berry worked extensively as a producer and development executive for Scottish Television Enterprises,[3] both in Glasgow and in London, where her credits included three BAFTA awards ceremonies.

BAFTA

Berry joined BAFTA in October 1998[2] as Director of Development and Events.[5] She became its Chief Executive in December 2000.[6]

Berry is widely acknowledged to have transformed the fortunes of the Academy in 2001, bringing the date of its annual Film Awards ceremony ahead of the American Academy’s Oscars.[2][7][8][9][10][11][12] The move boosted BAFTA’s international profile at a time when it was eclipsed by other organisations in the awards season,[13] and studios and industry commentators now rate BAFTA’s Film Awards as one of the most reliable predictors of the Oscars,[2][7][14][15] as well as being the pre-eminent film awards outside the annual Hollywood ceremony.[16]

As Chief Executive, Berry has been instrumental in the major changes BAFTA has undergone in recent years, successfully positioning it as the pre-eminent charitable body that educates, promotes and rewards excellence in the art forms of the moving image.[17] Under her leadership, BAFTA’s charitable activities have grown to include a year-round learning and events programme consisting of over 200 events a year,[7][18] many of which are filmed and made available to the public via BAFTA’s Guru Website.[19]

Honours

Berry was awarded an OBE for services to the Film Industry in HM The Queen’s 2009 Birthday Honours List.[20]

In 1999, Berry was named Media Boss of the Year by recruitment company Pathfinders [21][22][23] and Woman of the Year.[24] In 2010, she was named in the Telegraph’s 100 Most Powerful Women in Britain: Entertainment, Media and Sport.[25] In 2012, she made The Times’ British Film Power 100,[26] the Women in Film and Television Power List,[27] and the Women: Inspiration & Enterprise’s Power 50.[28] In 2013, she topped the 'film' list of the Guardian Culture Professionals Network and Hospital Club's h.club100, their 'annual search for the most influential, innovative and interesting people in the creative and media industries'.[29] In 2015 she was named in The Daily Telegraph's 10 Most Powerful Women In The Arts,[30] one of the Debrett's 500 [31] and received the BKSTS Outstanding Contribution to the Industry award.[32] Berry regularly features in the Evening Standard's London's 1,000 Most Influential People.[33][34][35]

References

  1. "BAFTA Staff - Key personnel - About - The BAFTA site". Bafta.org. 2008-09-11. Retrieved 2013-05-07.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Film (12 February 2004). "Queen of the red carpet and marker pen". London: Telegraph. Retrieved 2013-05-07.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Ms Amanda Berry, OBE Authorised Biography – Debrett’s People of Today, Ms Amanda Berry, OBE Profile". Debretts.com. 1961-08-20. Retrieved 2013-05-07.
  4. Greenstreet, Rosanna (8 June 2002). "My first home: Amanda Berry". The Daily Telegraph (London).
  5. O'Riordain, Aoife (10 April 1999). "My Week: Amanda Berry, Development Director of BAFTA". The Independent (London).
  6. http://howdidtheydoit.net/creative/amanda-berry-obe-ceo-bafta/
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 "Amanda Berry – BAFTA winner – Coutts Woman – Coutts". Coutts.com. Retrieved 2013-05-07.
  8. "Amanda Berry". Tatler. Retrieved 2013-05-07.
  9. Turner, Mimi. "BAFTA Awards' Secret for Securing Hollywood A-Listers: 'Phone Bashing'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2013-05-07.
  10. "Amanda Berry - British Airways Business Life. Business advice and inspiration, insider tips from the world’s top CEOs, analysts and entrepreneurs". Babusinesslife.com. 2011-01-10. Retrieved 2013-05-07.
  11. "CNN.com - Entertainment - BAFTAs steal a march on Oscars - February 23, 2001". Articles.cnn.com. 2001-02-23. Retrieved 2013-05-07.
  12. Adam Dawtrey (2000-12-26). "Oscar, meet BAFTA". Variety. Retrieved 2013-05-07.
  13. Adam Dawtrey (2002-02-17). "Masked ball". Variety. Retrieved 2013-05-07.
  14. Grace Wong For CNN (2009-02-06). "Bafta win could give Winslet Oscar boost - CNN.com". Articles.cnn.com. Retrieved 2013-05-07.
  15. "BAFTA Awards Offers Some Clues, Some Decoys About Oscar Race (Analysis)". Hollywoodreporter.com. 2011-11-17. Retrieved 2013-05-07.
  16. Macnab, Geoffrey (2007-01-12). "BAFTA reaches for operatic heights | News | Screen". Screendaily.com. Retrieved 2013-05-07.
  17. "British Academy of Film and Television Arts - About us". Bafta.org. Retrieved 2013-05-07.
  18. http://static.bafta.org/static/site/reviewoftheyear12/downloads/BAFTA_ROTY_2011-2012_Full.pdf
  19. "BAFTA Guru | BAFTA Guru Website". Bafta.org. Retrieved 2013-05-07.
  20. "HM The Queen's 2009 Birthday Honours List" (PDF). Retrieved 2013-05-07.
  21. "Boss from Heaven". London: The Guardian. 31 January 2000. Retrieved 2014-08-21.
  22. 3 December 1999 (1999-12-03). "OFF THE RECORD - Picking Berry | News | Broadcast". Broadcastnow.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-05-07.
  23. Penny Cottee (1999-11-29). "The sec's files | Money". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 2013-05-07.
  24. "Amanda BERRY biography". Debretts.
  25. "100 most powerful women in Britain: Entertainment, Media and Sport". London: Telegraph. 23 November 2010. Retrieved 2013-05-07.
  26. "The British film power 100". The Times. 2012-02-11. Retrieved 2013-05-07.
  27. "Women in film and television Top 50 Powerlist 2012 | Media | guardian.co.uk". London: Guardian. 2012-03-08. Retrieved 2013-05-07.
  28. "Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, joins 50 leading business women to open London Stock Exchange, celebrating the WIE50 and International Women's Day". London Stock Exchange. 2012-03-08. Retrieved 2013-05-07.
  29. http://www.screendaily.com/news/amanda-berry-tops-influential-list/5063770.article
  30. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturepicturegalleries/11353311/The-10-most-powerful-women-in-the-arts.html?frame=2475442
  31. http://www.debretts.com/people/debretts-500-2015/stage-screen/amanda-berry-obe
  32. "BKSTS Bernard Happé Lecture & Awards". BKSTS, International Moving Image Society. 5 March 2015.
  33. "London's 1000 most influential people 2012: Creatives, Film - The 1000 - News - London Evening Standard". Standard.co.uk. 2012-11-08. Retrieved 2013-05-07.
  34. http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/the-power-1000--londons-most-influential-people-2013-imagineers-film-8825001.html
  35. http://www.standard.co.uk/news/the1000/the-1000--londons-most-influential-people-2014-the-arts-9784853.html

External links