Amanda Sonia Berry
| Amanda Berry OBE | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
20 August 1961 Darlington, County Durham, United Kingdom |
| Residence | London |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Chief Executive, British Academy of Film and Television Arts |
Amanda Sonia Berry, OBE (born 20 August 1961) is Chief Executive of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA).
Berry was born in Darlingon, County Durham, the daughter of Tom (owner of a dry cleaning company in Richmond, North Yorkshire) and Anita Berry. She is the eldest of three children.
Berry read business studies and graphic design at Newcastle Polytechnic, and took a student job in the press office of Thames Television.
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). Clients included Christopher Lee, Ian McShane, Paul McCartney and David Bowie. She left in 1988 as a Director with the company.
In 1989, Berry worked at London Weekend Television (LWT) as a researcher for light entertainment.
From 1990, Berry worked extensively as a producer and development executive for Scottish Television Enterprises, both in Glasgow and in London, where her credits included three BAFTA awards ceremonies.
Berry joined BAFTA in October 1998 as Director of Development and Events. She became its Chief Executive in December 2000.
Berry 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. The move boosted BAFTA’s international profile at a time when it was eclipsed by other organisations in the awards season, and studios and industry commentators now rate BAFTA’s Film Awards as one of the most reliable predictors of the Oscars, as well as being the pre-eminent film awards outside the annual Hollywood ceremony.
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