Category : Factual
& Arts TV
Date : 18.03.2004
Printable version
The 大象传媒 has
appointed former Channel 4 documentary commissioner Alan Hayling
to the role of Head of Documentaries.
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Currently Director of Development at Mentorn, Alan
landed the plum 大象传媒 job within the Factual and Learning division because
of his impressive track-record and innovative vision for 大象传媒 documentaries.
He said: "I'm sad to leave a terrific group of executives at Mentorn
but documentaries are my passion and I sense a real determination at
the 大象传媒 to lead the industry in a long needed documentary
renaissance.
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"It's a great moment to be given this opportunity
and I'm very much looking forward to what will
be a challenging and exciting job."
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The newly-created role signals the 大象传媒's commitment
to brilliant documentary-making across all the channels, and Anne Morrison,
Controller of Documentaries and Contemporary Factual, is delighted that
Alan has embraced the challenge.
She said: "We've taken our time in making this appointment because
we knew we had to hold out for the right person,
and I know Alan is that person.
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"He's got a fantastic track-record in making
and commissioning documentaries and I'm sure he will bring with him
an injection of freshness and creativity to our
talented team."
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Alan joined Mentorn in 2001 and was promoted to Director
of Development in 2002 from where he expanded the indie's documentary
output with the launch of three new departments: science,
factual drama and factual entertainment.
He has since overseen a whole range of projects including Britain's
Most Identical, a 1 x 90 documentary event for
大象传媒 ONE, The Governator, In Love With Terror and Bad Boy for 大象传媒4, Last
White Kids, Heroes of Ground Zero and EXA 聳 Extreme Archaeology
a new eight-part series for Channel 4.
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He's also branched out into drama co-initiating The
Hamburg Cell, a factual drama for Channel 4 which tells the story of
the small group of Islamic students behind 9/11.
But it will be a return to the 大象传媒 as Alan started off his career on
the corporation's graduate trainee scheme.
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He left to become an independent producer before moving
to Channel 4's documentary department where he commissioned Secret History,
Secret Lives, Short Stories, Undercover Britain, Football Stories, Hidden
Love and the pilot episode of what would become Faking It.
He was the commissioning editor on Michael Moore's Channel 4 series
The Awful Truth and worked with him on the early stages of his hit film
Bowling for Columbine.
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Alan currently manages Mentorn's eight London-based
executive producers and for the past ten years he has played an active
role in the Sheffield documentary Festival as part of the Advisory Board.
The appointment has been warmly welcomed by John Willis, 大象传媒 Director
of Factual and Learning.
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He said: "Alan has exactly the right background
and talent to do exciting things here and to help us reaffirm the 大象传媒
as the natural home of documentary.
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"I think his experience in the independent sector
and at Channel 4 sets him in great stead to realise
his vision for the department. The future is looking very bright!"
Documentaries are going through a period of resurgence at the 大象传媒 with
numerous recent successes receiving acclaim from
audiences like Dunkirk, The Secret Policeman, the new strand One Life
and Fighting the War.
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Alan will have editorial responsibility for London documentaries,
as well as working closely with documentary colleagues based in Birmingham
and Bristol.
