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Inside 195 Piccadilly
This issue of
ACADEMY
brings to a
close the first
two years of
our now familiar maga-
zine. Two years seems
to be the right sort of
time to take stock and
to revisit all the ques-
tions which must be
considered when plan-
ning a quality in-house
befits the British Academy of Film & Television Arts. Such a review has been taking place over the past few months and it would seem appropriate to share the findings so far with our readers and members.
The first thing to say is, ACADEMY has been a huge success for mem- bers in presenting a balance of bi- monthly reports from inside BAFTA with a mixed bag of ‘near news’ and industry-related articles within a quality paper medium. The quality aspect is important because ACADEMY, apart from existing as a service to members and the principle communi- cations vehicle for the Academy, serves as an important promotional tool as well.
However, against this general background of success, a number of key areas have been identified where we believe we can do better or take things forward. We wish to strength- en our present editorial team around our new in-house Managing Editor, Ruth Grenville, by bringing in regular specialist writers for Television and Interactive Entertainment. We wish to make greater use of our privileged and valuable access to the Academy’s high profile and signature events to give members and others a unique insight unavailable to other publications.
From January, we will begin a deliberate campaign of increasing the readership of ACADEMY by distrib- uting at least 2000 copies to “the industry.” In time, we hope that our magazine will be found in most receptions and staff areas through- out the film, TV and new media sec- tors allowing the Academy to send messages more effectively to its industries. Such a development will not only establish a reliable commu- nications channel but also increase the advertising value of the maga- zine – a very important considera- tion in the current economic climate.
The way forward: 2002 will be a transitional year for ACADEMY whilst we implement some of the desired changes identified in the review. We will continue to think about design, quality of paper stock and content. We will also launch on-line compo- nents of the magazine to serve a different but complementary pur- pose to the print version and allow us to become more interactive with our readers.
I should like to thank John Morrell for his contribution in taking ACADEMY to where it is today. And if you would like to contribute to a review of the magazine as we
plan for next year, please send
your comments or ideas to ruthg@bafta.org
Our main business of promot- ing excellence in film, televi- sion and interactive enter- tainment continues apace. The recent IE Awards were a resounding success in the face of a daunting year for that industry. After the success of 2000, we were commit- ted to making this event even bigger and better for the IE industry.
We pulled this off without a main sponsor and at a time when most companies had to consider whether they could even afford to enter their products let alone attend the ceremony. Thanks to the whole BAFTA team for a supreme effort
and to our
friends Orange,
Roux Fine Dining,
DTI and Electric
for taking catego-
ry sponsorship.
Fast on the heels of
Interactive are the
Children’s Film &
Television Awards
sponsored by
LEGO, a special
tribute evening for
Dame Judi Dench
on December 9,
and an evening to
celebrate and say ‘thank you’ to the Princess Royal as she stands down after 25 years service as BAFTA’s President. So, December promises to be a very special month leading up to the festive season: Kids, Dames and Princesses... there must be a docu- mentary there!
I’m also delighted to tell you about a new energy and focus which is beginning to develop between BAFTA’s HQ and its UK branches. We have taken on the challenge of re- forging the naturally strong links between BAFTA’s UK operations and I hope we will soon see some real tangi- ble benefits for members resulting from this exercise.
In July this year, we rationalised the structure through which all branch members who meet BAFTA’s UK criteria may enjoy membership of the Academy on a national basis. This basically means that all non- London members now pay the same
price and enjoy the same privileges of membership be they connected to London, Scotland, Wales or the North.
From July 2002, I hope to complete the circle by estab- lishing access to all UK BAFTA events, screenings and facilities be this in London for UK branch members or at UK branches for London members. If successful, the
Academy should develop into a truly national operation, a develop- ment I believe which will be benefi- cial to all our members. Once we have cracked it in the UK, attention will be turned to the US and then the rest of the world! ■
KEVIN PRICE’S
magazine that
“baftalk”
Kevin Price Director of Finance and Administration
HRH The Princess Royal
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