People

Nick Underwood

Nick had a successful career in sports marketing up until 1994 when he joined Ragdoll Productions as Head of International Marketing, where he worked on properties such as Rosie & Jim, Tots TV and Teletubbies.

After a period in South Africa and then as CEO of a small UK media plc he joined Open Mind Productions as a Consultant in 2005, and was elevated to the role of Commercial Director in 2007. Nick’s expertise is in putting together creative business models for co-productions and for licensing and merchandising. For over 30 years Nick has been conducting business on a global basis and has been responsible for numerous international brands and ventures during this period.

nick.underwood@openmind.co.uk

+44 (0)7866 553973

Chris Ellis

Chris was a teacher of English and Drama for ten years, where he started writing plays and musicals for young people. He then joined the BBC and produced and directed a wide range of programmes for children and teenagers, including Zig Zag, You and Me, Tales From Europe, and the History File.

Chris was also writing as a freelance for shows such as Grange Hill, the Biz, and Fourways Farm.

In 1989 he set up Open Mind Productions with Roland Tongue, and has been Creative Director of the company since that time, devising and writing most of the companies shows.

Chris has been nominated for a BAFTA, and he has won several Royal Television Society Awards, the Japan Prize, and a Peabody Award.

Chris Ellis Interview

chris.ellis@openmind.co.uk

Roland Tongue

Roland Tongue was a film editor in BBC Television for fifteen years editing many series including Horizon, Your Life in Their Hands, Ken Hom’s Chinese Cookery and Citizen Smith.

Since founding Open Mind Productions in 1989 Roland has produced more than five hundred and fifty programmes for BBC Television, Channel Four Television, Discovery Kids in New York and corporate clients including BP, Ofsted and SEAC.  In the last seven years programmes produced by Roland have won two Royal Television Society and one BAFTA awards and nominated for a further two BAFTA and 3 Daytime Emmy awards.

Roland also specialises in new media production and has worked on major projects for Pearson Broadband and the “Homework” electronic classroom project with the University of Sussex School of Cognitive Science and Channel 4 Learning for the DTI & ESRC.

roland.tongue@openmind.co.uk

Clare Fleming

Open Mind has worked very closely with Clare over a great many years and has relied on her excellent production management skills to deliver over 500 programmes on schedule and on budget.

clare.hepper@openmind.co.uk

Tel +44 (0)7932 058301

Chris Bezant

After training in Advertising and Commercial Photography, Chris joined the BBC’s Film Editing department where he worked on high profile dramas, documentary series, current affairs, community, entertainment and childrens programmes.

Eleven years later he left the BBC to pursue a freelance career as a Film and Video editor, specialising in documentary, education and childrens programming.  This has included the BBC’s Science Zone series,  Channel 4’s documentary series Free For All,  The RTS award winning Igor – Between Two Worlds and the RTS award winning Numberjacks for BBC/CBeebies.

Chris is a member of BAFTA and enjoys pursuing his hobbies of stage lighting, photography and theatre.