Apple TV+ Europe boss Jay Hunt, who has commissioned the likes of Slow Horses, Bad Sisters and Tiny World, is being lined up as the next chair of the BFI, according to a Sky News report.
Sky News said UK TV veteran Hunt is frontrunner of three candidates vying to succeed Tim Richards.
The UK’s Culture, Media & Sport (CMS) department, which appoints BFI Chairs, will likely make the decision over the next few weeks, with Richards’ replacement set to be announced in the spring. The deadline for applications was in September and interviews took place last month. The CMS decides on a number of crucial media industry Chair roles including at the BBC and Ofcom.
The role takes around two part time days of work per month and, like Vue CEO Richards, Hunt could continue working for Apple were she to take it on. The job description called for applicants who can work across a variety of executive briefs including maintaining close relationships with the government and key influencers alongside generating revenue and ensuring the financial resilience of the organization.
Hunt – who is the only UK TV commissioner to have run three channels (BBC One, Channel 4, Channel 5) – has been overseeing Apple TV+’s commissioning in Europe for nearly six years. After a slow start, she has nurtured a string of hits including the likes of Gary Oldman-starrer Slow Horses and Sharon Horgan’s Bad Sisters. She is well respected and introduced a wave of hits during her Channel 4 stint including Gogglebox, while she also led the negotiations that saw The Great British Bake off move over from the BBC. She is a TV veteran but has little film experience and would join the BFI at a difficult time for the local indie sector.
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Source: DLine
