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Academy Profile
BUSINESSANDPLEASURE
BUSINESSANDPLEASURE
OUTGOING BAFTA CHAIRMAN TIM ANGEL OBE TALKS TO QUENTIN FALK
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Photo of Tim Angel by Cornel Lucas
On a document marked “Strictly What with Trustees, Council, cer-
Private And Confidential”, there are listed no fewer than sixteen items, detailing every- thing from “Employ a deputy to
be responsible for Events and Awards” to “Increase membership to 4000.”
This sheet of paper, which also cov- ers Awards and Sub-Committees, is headed “BAFTA – The Way Forward.” Drafted in May 1997, and with the ven- erable Academy still deep in debt, it was a clear state-
mentofintentby incoming Chairman, Tim Angel OBE.
“Thebottom lineformehas always been the membership ”
monies which stood forquality.Therewere computers but they didn’t talk to each other.Therewasn’t even a membership database so we really had no idea about our ‘profile’. Even a golf club has its member- ship on computer.
“Events were pretty much non-
Thecovertprecis
ends with a typically
confident proclama-
tion: “If these things
can be put in hand
over the next eigh-
teen months, I
believe the Academy
will be in an incredi-
bly strong position to welcome the 21st Century. It will become the vibrant organisation it should be.”
existent and because things were so bad financially, the reins were being pulled in. But the bottom line for me has always been the membership. It was vital to address the membership urgently, to aim for a greater and younger spread. Getting sponsorship allowed things to start moving a bit and the overall cash flow started improving the moment we began reducing the debt.”
Separating out the two extant award ceremonies was debated long and hard, and making proper long-term broadcast arrangements was also not without its fair share of smoke-filled deliberation, especially over the high profile film event.
“Why Sky? It was pragmatic but I don’t believe that just cash was the dri- ving force, although, at the end of the day we did get more money than we would have from ITV. More importantly, we believe we got a good deal from Sky, with a fixed term and a renewable right.That was great.
A little over three years after Angel actively began his mission to try and fulfil that statement, he finally bows out in July at BAFTA’s helm, following an unprecedented three years holding the reins. More significantly, the debt is cleared, crucial ongoing sponsorship now rules and membership currently stands at 4,123.
Yet, ironically, Angel, eponymous head of the world’s biggest costumiers, had stood unsuccessfully seven times for Council before eventually securing a two-year-stint just prior to his unop- posed election to the Chair.
Angel, 50, was in his own words, “unusual for BAFTA as a craftsperson and businessman. Normally it’s directors or producers and, in fact, nine times out of ten, the chairman has been from Television, whereas I was more from the film side, but of course my business crosses both.”
“However, we should always remember that there are now five annu- al awards ceremonies, and we really do need to get them all broadcast.”
Angel admits that he didn’t achieve everything he had hoped for. “I wanted, for example, to re-do the bar and eating area. That will fall to my successor. I’d like to have moved the film awards prior to the Oscars and although we ended up having a big membership drive on the film side, I’d really like a massive one now on the TV side.”
From the fifth generation of a family which has run its remarkable business
for over 160 years - a sixth generation in the form of daughter Emma and son Daniel is continuing the great tradition - Angel stands down from BAFTA with just the odd regret.
“When I took over, I hated making speeches, loathed it in fact. They’d be written for me by other people. Then I started writing my own and slowly began enjoying it. I’d always relished being on my feet talking but not in front of an audience. Now I get a real kick out of it. Yes, I’m going to miss that.”
He won’t, though, miss what he describes as the “politics” running the
tainly staff and members, all have come to experience Angel’s self con- fessed “hands on” approach. It was therefore very much the businessman who set about dragging BAFTA – sometimes kicking and screaming - into the new Millennium.
“Yes, I suppose you could say the place was drifting. The brand wasn’t being used properly - that’s the business- man talking - yet it had two award cere-