Major new appointment for BWPL

Jannine Waddell, former editor of BBC Travel, is the new Head of Programmes at Brian Waddell Productions Ltd (BWPL) in Northern Ireland.
She resigned her post at the BBC, where, for the past four years, she was in charge of the Corporation's travel output.
Jannine was responsible for the long-running 'Holiday' series. Among the developments in travel programming, which were introduced during her tenure, were 'Holiday -You Call the Shots', 'Perfect Holiday', 'Holiday Ten Best', '50 Places to See Before You Die' and '50 Things to Do Before You Die'. The department most recently broadened its output with the documentaries 'Brits in Bangkok' and 'The People's Hollywood', the daytime series 'Escape to the Sun' and the occasional celebrity series '…Goes Wild'.
BWPL is Northern Ireland's longest-established independent production company, specialising in factual programming. It has recently extended its output in the travel genre and is currently in production with the second series of the highly successful travel-adventure programme 'Chasing Time In ...' for National Geographic Channel in Washington DC, as well as with a new holiday series, 'Ulster Fly' for BBC Northern Ireland.
"BWPL has been striving to bring talent with network production experience back into the nations and regions, in order to increase network output", said MD Brian Waddell. We believe that the Communications Bill will benefit independent companies, working from the regions, like our own. For that reason, among others, we are developing our talent base. Jannine will bring invaluable expertise to a very busy production schedule, which has the company working at full capacity until the end of the year."
Jannine said: "I think it is an incredibly exciting time to be working from the regions. However, I don't under estimate how important it is to convince the commissioners that we have the right talent and that we can deliver high quality network programming.
2The company has some fantastic ideas and we need to find the most direct way of getting through to the people who make decisions. The controllers should see the advantage in commissioning from us - we simply just can't afford to make a mistake. I can personally guarantee that I will be over every programme like a rash!"
This new appointment coincides with the departure of Richard Williams, the company's former head of business affairs, who recently took over as chief executive of the Northern Ireland Film and Television Commission.
(GB)