New Creative Appointments To Improve BBC Vision

Jon Beazley is to take the top job in BBC entertainment production as Controller, Entertainment Group for BBC Vision Studios, with Karen Smith becoming Creative Director of BBC Entertainment Production, BBC Chief Creative Officer Peter Salmon has announced.
In the first major appointments to BBC Vision Studios, Beazley, currently the BBC's Controller of Entertainment Commissioning, will lead a creative community of about 500 and a business with a turnover over of £50m a year.
He will report directly to Salmon and sit on the Vision Studios Board.
Beazley will also work closely with BBC Scotland on their growing portfolio and BBC Worldwide to grow BBC Entertainment's increasingly successful international format sales business.
Smith is currently the BBC's Creative Head of Format Entertainment.
In her new role she will report to Jon, leading and aligning production and development across the Entertainment brand working closely with multi-media commissioning and building on the heritage and success of Entertainment output in the context of the new BBC Vision model.
Salmon commented: "This is very significant for BBC Vision. Jon is one of the UK's most accomplished entertainment producers and commissioners, and Karen is one of the industry's rising stars.
"Together they will be a double act that can help lead one of the entertainment world's best teams that produces some of TV's biggest hits - shows such as Strictly Come Dancing, Dragons' Den and How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?
"They will also help drive our new push into multi-platform production and games, and they will build great BBC ideas into entertainment formats that can flourish around the world, bringing income back to the BBC."
Beazley said: "To leave Commissioning for Production was a difficult choice but after five years in Entertainment Commissioning as both Executive Editor and Controller, BBC Vision's Entertainment Studio presents enormously exciting opportunities; Entertainment's current range of distinctive programming and the desire to initiate valuable content across all multimedia platforms was just too tempting.
"I am thrilled to be steering Entertainment Production and look forward to close collaboration with the talented programme makers across the BBC and with BBC Worldwide."
Beazley is due to take up his role before Christmas and Smith will start in January.
Jana Bennett, Director of BBC Vision, added: "Jon has made a fantastic impact on the Independent sector and in-house production as Controller of Entertainment Commissioning - revitalising Saturday nights with huge hits like 'Strictly Come Dancing' and 'How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?', and commissioning exciting shows such as Friday Night With Jonathan Ross, The Apprentice and Dragons' Den.
"I'm so pleased that Jon will be heading up Entertainment Production, because he'll bring all that expertise, and his vast knowledge of the channels, commissioners and schedules, to his new role and Karen is destined for great things in the Entertainment world.
"Peter's announcements today mark an important first step for BBC Vision Studios and another milestone in the building of BBC Vision."
With nearly 5,000 programme-makers throughout the UK across drama, entertainment, comedy and factual, learning and children's programmes, BBC Vision Studios will be the biggest integrated multimedia production group in the world when it launches on 1 January 2007.
(DS)