About Us : Key People |
Overview | Key People |
Mark Call : Chairman
Mark is a highly experienced strategy and organisational expert, with an MBA from INSEAD in Fontainebleau. After leaving the management of strategy consultants McKinsey & Co., Mark set up his own consultancy practice, which was successfully sold in the mid 90's. He went on to accept the office of Prime Minister's Personal Political Advisor, one of the most coveted strategy posts in the world.
Now back in the private sector, and having recently spearheaded the establishment of a '1bn investment fund (he remains a non-executive Director), Mark brings a wealth of valuable skills in the need to set up production-development funds, and raise money. He is currently acting as a senior advisor at the UK television-sector business advisor, Saturn Entertainment Developments. A serial entrepreneur and business angel, he has investments in a wide variety of enterprises including property and bars and clubs, in addition to those in the media industry.
Mark brings valuable skills in organisational and institutional strengthening to Rapido, as well as commercial and business development. This, combined with his high-level analytical skills, is helping Rapido to 'think outside the box'.
Mark Hiley : Non-Executive Director
Mark was Rapido's Chief Executive and remains a shareholder and non-executive director. He has also has worked for or advised a long-list of TV businesses including Tell-Tale Productions (BBC's Tweenies), Pilot Productions (Lonely Planet), Ewan McGregor's Long Way Round Productions (BBC's Long Way Round), TV6 (BBC's Horizon), 3BM TV (Channel 4's Secret History), Angel Eye (Channel 4's Edinburgh or Bust), and many others. He also spent 3yrs as Python Terry Jones' Joint Executive Producer with members of the Monty Python production team, was a retained advisor to ITV Children's Television Controller, Vanessa Chapman, and Television Advisor to the board of mobile broadcast giant, WIN plc.
During Mark's tenure as Chief Exec, he negotiated and secured the world rights to Rapido's 350 hours of programmes from Channel 4, acted as Executive Producer for Eurotrash and Produced Channel 4's highest-rating documentary of the year.
He was Chairman at Broadcast Magazine's conference on TV funding and Keynote Speaker at the Television Business International Annual Summit. Mark now acts as an advisor to range of successful television companies.
Peter Stuart : Creative Director
New York born Peter was raised in Los Angeles. He is 44 years old and has been living in Paris and London since 1986.
Peter's TV and film career began in 1982 with his cult production "Punkumentary" which led on to an invitation to direct feature segments for ABC's "Ripley's Believe it or Not". In 1986 he created and produced a rock-music/culture magazine show called Rapido, for Janice Street-Porter at BBC2. The show quickly achieved cult status and simultaneously launched the TV career of Antoine de Caunes.
From Rapido was born Rapido Television, which Peter co-founded with Antoine with backing from Richard Branson. Rapido Television quickly grew into one of the biggest names in television with shows like Passengers, Fortean TV, Baadass TV, The Girle Show and others which Peter created and produced. He also created, wrote, produced and directed Eurotrash, Channel 4's longest-running entertainment series, as well as Channel Hopping with Eddie Izzard, for which he won a BAFTA.
His more serious work for Rapido includes documentaries with Princess Diana, Frederico Fellini and Gerard Depardieu which have made him a popular choice for big-name biogs. He is widely regarded as a pioneer of today's Factual Entertainment genre and has created production techniques used throughout the industry.
Alongside Mark Hiley and Mark Call, Peter helped spearhead the Rapido Television takeover.
Richard Jeffs : Business Affairs
Richard has a background in ITV where he was head of the programme services at Central, controlling budgets and rights and over 400 staff.
He was formally International Business Affairs Manager at Action Time and for the last ten years has been a consultant on International and UK Television Rights with a specialisation in Format and Library Licences and exploitation worldwide.
In a career spanning 30 years, Richard has worked for BBC, Channel 4, Channel 5, Sky, NBC, Universal and Endemol. He also lectures on the History of Television and the International TV Market.
Richard joined the Rapido team in February 2004.
Pete Jones : Multimedia Director
As one of the industry's leading interactive design experts, Pete is responsible for the conceptual design & packaging of all Rapido's television and film production "brands", as well as all online ventures.
For the last 10 years, Pete has been the creative force behind a number of well known PR & new-media companies - responsible for the design and online presence of big brands from James Bond to The Tweenies.
Pete has designed and built everything from online television distribution sites to online broadcaster programme-submission systems - and his team is now undertaking the massive task of coordinating and rebuilding a range of Rapido Television websites, which set out the company's large library of rights...as well as the creation of new programme packaging and graphics for UK broadcasters.
