Amanda Sonia Berry

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

Amanda Berry

OBE
Born
Amanda Sonia Berry

(1961-08-20) 20 August 1961
Darlington, County Durham, England
NationalityBritish
OccupationChief Executive, British Academy of Film and Television Arts

Early life

Berry was born in Darlingon, County Durham, but raised in Richmond, North Yorkshire;[2] Berry is the daughter of Tom (owner of a dry cleaning company in Richmond, North Yorkshire)[3] and Anita Berry. She is the eldest of three children.

Berry read business studies and graphic design at Newcastle Polytechnic,[3] and took a student job in the press office of Thames Television.[3]

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).[3][4] Clients included Christopher Lee, Ian McShane, Paul McCartney and David Bowie.[5] She left in 1988[3] as a Director with the company.

In 1989, Berry worked at London Weekend Television (LWT) as a researcher for light entertainment.[4] From 1990, Berry worked extensively as a producer and development executive for Scottish Television Enterprises,[4] both in Glasgow and in London, where her credits included three BAFTA awards ceremonies.

BAFTA

Berry joined BAFTA in October 1998[3] as Director of Development and Events.[6] She became its Chief Executive in December 2000,[7] and 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.[3][8][9][10][11][12][13] The move boosted BAFTA's international profile at a time when it was eclipsed by other organisations in the awards season,[14] and studios and industry commentators now rate BAFTA's Film Awards as one of the most reliable predictors of the Oscars,[3][8][15][16] as well as being the pre-eminent film awards outside the annual Hollywood ceremony.[17]

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 film, games and television, bringing the very best work to public attention and supporting the growth of creative talent in the UK and internationally.[18] 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,[8][19] many of which are filmed and made available to the public via BAFTA's Guru Website.[20] With branches in Los Angeles, New York, Scotland and Wales and activity in Asia, BAFTA's charitable message is communicated to a global audience. Berry is passionate about BAFTA's work discovering, nurturing and supporting the next generation of talent. Amongst the wide range of initiatives to help talented people reach their potential, the most high-profile is BAFTA Breakthrough Brits, which also launched in China as BAFTA Breakthrough China in June 2019.[21]

Honours

Berry was appointed an OBE for services to the Film Industry in HM The Queen's 2009 Birthday Honours List.[22]

In 1999, Berry was named Media Boss of the Year by recruitment company Pathfinders[23][24][25] and Woman of the Year.[26] In 2010, she was named in the Telegraph's 100 Most Powerful Women in Britain: Entertainment, Media and Sport.[27] In 2012, she made The Times' British Film Power 100,[28] the Women in Film and Television Power List,[29] and the Women: Inspiration & Enterprise's Power 50.[30] 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'.[31] In 2015 she was named in The Daily Telegraph's 10 Most Powerful Women in the Arts[32] and received the BKSTS Outstanding Contribution to the Industry award.[33] Berry regularly features in the Evening Standard's London's 1,000 Most Influential People[34][35][36] and in Debrett's 500, "a recognition and celebration of Britain’s 500 most influential people".[37][38] In 2017 she was named in The Times' Film Power List,[39] the British newspaper's ranking of "the star players with global clout". In 2018 she was named in the Variety 500, "an index of the 500 most influential business leaders shaping the global $2 trillion entertainment industry".[40]

References
  1. "BAFTA Staff – Key personnel – About – The BAFTA site". Bafta.org. 11 September 2008. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  2. "Amanda Berry: Star role for a queen of screen". The Yorkshire Post. 22 January 2010. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  3. Film (12 February 2004). "Queen of the red carpet and marker pen". The Telegraph. London. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  4. "Ms Amanda Berry, OBE Authorised Biography – Debrett's People of Today, Ms Amanda Berry, OBE Profile". Debretts.com. 20 August 1961. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  5. Greenstreet, Rosanna (8 June 2002). "My first home: Amanda Berry". The Daily Telegraph. London.
  6. O'Riordain, Aoife (10 April 1999). "My Week: Amanda Berry, Development Director of BAFTA". The Independent. London.
  7. "Interview: Amanda Berry OBE: CEO, BAFTA". July 2013.
  8. "Amanda Berry – BAFTA winner – Coutts Woman – Coutts". Coutts.com. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  9. "Amanda Berry". Tatler. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  10. Turner, Mimi. "BAFTA Awards' Secret for Securing Hollywood A-Listers: 'Phone Bashing'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  11. "Amanda Berry – British Airways Business Life. Business advice and inspiration, insider tips from the world's top CEOs, analysts and entrepreneurs". Babusinesslife.com. 10 January 2011. Archived from the original on 2 November 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  12. "CNN – Entertainment – BAFTAs steal a march on Oscars – February 23, 2001". Articles.cnn.com. 23 February 2001. Archived from the original on 17 January 2013. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  13. Adam Dawtrey (26 December 2000). "Oscar, meet BAFTA". Variety. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  14. Adam Dawtrey (17 February 2002). "Masked ball". Variety. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  15. Grace Wong For CNN (6 February 2009). "Bafta win could give Winslet Oscar boost". CNN. Articles.cnn.com. Archived from the original on 17 January 2013. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  16. "BAFTA Awards Offers Some Clues, Some Decoys About Oscar Race (Analysis)". Hollywoodreporter.com. 17 November 2011. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  17. Macnab, Geoffrey (12 January 2007). "BAFTA reaches for operatic heights | News | Screen". Screendaily.com. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  18. "British Academy of Film and Television Arts – About us". Bafta.org. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  19. http://static.bafta.org/static/site/reviewoftheyear12/downloads/BAFTA_ROTY_2011-2012_Full.pdf
  20. "BAFTA Guru | BAFTA Guru Website". Bafta.org. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  21. "BAFTA launches Breakthrough talent initiative in China; BAFTA website". Bafta.org. 21 June 2019.
  22. "HM The Queen's 2009 Birthday Honours List" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 November 2013. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  23. "Boss from Heaven". The Guardian. London. 31 January 2000. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  24. "OFF THE RECORD – Picking Berry | News | Broadcast". Broadcastnow.co.uk. 3 December 1999. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  25. Penny Cottee (29 November 1999). "The sec's files | Money". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  26. "Amanda BERRY biography". Debretts.
  27. "100 most powerful women in Britain: Entertainment, Media and Sport". The Telegraph. London. 23 November 2010. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  28. "The British film power 100". The Times. 11 February 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  29. "Women in film and television Top 50 Powerlist 2012 | Media". The Guardian. London. 8 March 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  30. "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. 8 March 2012. Archived from the original on 17 April 2013. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  31. "Hospital 100 unveils Film list". 19 November 2013. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  32. "The 10 most powerful women in the arts". 19 January 2015.
  33. "BKSTS Bernard Happé Lecture & Awards". BKSTS, International Moving Image Society. 5 March 2015. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  34. "London's 1000 most influential people 2012: Creatives, Film – The 1000 – News – London Evening Standard". Evening Standard. 8 November 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  35. "The Power 1000 - London's most influential people 2013: Imagineers". 19 September 2013.
  36. "The 1000 - London's most influential people 2014: The Arts". 15 October 2014.
  37. http://www.debretts.com/people/debretts-500-2015/stage-screen/amanda-berry-obe
  38. http://www.debretts.com/people-influence/debretts-500-2016/stage-screen
  39. Muir, Maher, Potton, Kate, Kevin, Ed. "Film Power List: Top Brits at the Movies". The Times. Retrieved 6 February 2017.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  40. "Variety500". 26 September 2017.
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