Name: Nick COLLINSON

Address: Mas Lacroix, 46200 Pinsac, France
Contact:

+33 (0)5 65 37 83 95 (phone)
(33) (0)6 07 91 25 87 (mobile)
nick@collinson.fr (email)

Languages: Bilingual French and English
Hobbies: Cooking, Guitar, The West Indies (especially Bequia in St Vincent & the Grenadines where my mother was born and where I own a piece of jungle)

Recent (ish) professional experience:

November 1994 to date: Freelance consultant

Now
- Consultant for TV Numeric for the creation of Video on Demand services on the digital terrestrial network (TNT) in France
- In charge of acquisitions for new satellite TV channel based in Paris, aimed at the Middle East
- Halfway through writing first novel/blook (volume 1 visible here: www.bekway.com)
- Preparation of a major TV series with international cast to be filmed in Europe
- Production advisor to Films Action Paris and Studio Action Synthese Marseille for animated feature film and TV series THE MAGIC ROUNDABOUT, THE WIZARD OF OZ (dircted by John Boorman) and related projects.
- Consultant to Aerospace Adour Technologies Pau and Euro Airship SA for the development of a remote controlled helium airship to be used as a platform for high definition TV filming.
- Web site design, hosting and management (since 1994).

Before
- Consultant for Europe Vision plc for a feasibility study into a new TV network under the "Elite" brand
- France Telecom/Orange, consultant for the launch of new Video on Demand services via broadband in France and other European territories.
- Production consultant to PSI-Key Entertainment London for live action feature films THE PYRAMID PLAYERS, THE MOORS, STORIES OF OLD and other projects.
- Consultant for the NRJ Group for the launch of NRJ12, digital terrestrial channel in France (2005).
- Managing Director of Luxsat Gulf, for the launch of the world's first video on demand service by satellite in the United Arab Emirates and Arabian Gulf countries (to end June 2004)
- Strategic advisor for Luxsat International for the launch of new video on demand services in the Middle East
- Joint Managing-Director of Minimax Rt Hungary, Canal+ owned company managing thematic channels in Hungary and Roumania
- Canal+ Cyfrowa project director for launch of MINIMAX and other thematic and PayTV channels in Hungary.
- Consultant to Cellcast (Hong-Kong)/Media Consulting (France) for launch of SMILE TV UK.
- Advisor to Canal+ Polska (Poland) for the launch of their digital channels, specifically for the new Polish childrens' channel and satellite/cable movie channel.
- Consultant to Canal+/Canal Satelite Digital and Cit.s.l. Madrid for channel management and content on the digital satellite television platform in Spain. Director of "Special Events" on Taquilla - Spanish pay-per-view service.
- Director of acquisitions VELVET JUNGLE, two hour weekly rock music magazine programme broadcast in France and Germany on ARTE (50 hours purchased and over 20 hours produced in 1995 plus 12 hours in 1996 for Paris Première).
- TV Production consultant to LES EUROCKÉENNES DE BELFORT, the largest rock festival in France taking place every July.
- Sales and development consultant for CHUMCITY INTERNATIONAL Toronto for projects in France and other European territories.
- Consultant and producer for CinéMarine on an underwater documentary series for French and Canadian television stations.
- Legal advisor to INA for music rights clearances.
- Also consultant on individual projects such as: Cecil B. Demille's CARMEN (for Diamond Time London), a GENESIS documentary with INA (for Hit&Run Music/Virgin London/VH1), Buñuel's THE ADVENTURES OF ROBINSON CRUSOE (for Action Cinemas Paris), 30 YEARS OF ROCK & FOLK documentary (for Canal+ France), a 3 hour ARTE theme evening on HEMP (for Theopresse Paris), etc. etc.

1991-1994: Ellipse Cable, France

- In charge of acquisitions MONTE CARLO TMC, terrestrial channel in the South of France and on basic cable/satellite throughout France and French speaking Switzerland.
- In charge of acquisitions CANAL JIMMY, basic cable/satellite channel in France.
- Acquisitions consultant to PLANETE CABLE and the two cinema channels in the Ellipse group.
- Negotiator for CANAL+ INTERNATIONAL for the setting up of thematic cable/satellite channels in non-French speaking European countries.

1990-1991 WPS World Picture System, Paris

- Director of acquisitions for a European research and sales network, subsidiary of Télédiffusion de France (TDF)
- Continuing negotiations related to the production of music programmes as well as research on feature film catalogues with a view to widening the distribution contracts mentioned herebelow to cover other European territories

1983-1990 Self-employed

- Exclusive buyer for ACTION CINEMAS Paris, specialised in theatrical re-issue of classic films (SHOP AROUND THE CORNER, STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, etc.). First-time contracts concluded with all the American and European Major film companies.
- Exclusive TV sales agent for France and other European countries for an important catalogue of feature films, over 300 titles including Jacques TATI's films, BLACK ORPHEUS, TOMMY and QUADROPHENIA, the Roman Polanski classics, as well as British, French, Italian, South American and Scandinavian films.
- Negotiations with all the record labels for the rights to use music videos and other music programming in video juke-boxes, discotheques and on cable TV. Intermediary between English programme suppliers and French TV stations for a wide range of music shows (Canal+, Antenne2, TV6, M6, Télé-Toulouse, C'Etait Hier, Canal Jimmy, etc.)
- Consultant and researcher for London Week-End Television (South Bank Show), the British Film Institute, l'Institut National de l'Audiovisuel (INA), Générale d'Image, as well as other distributors and producers in France and overseas, specialised in archive music footage, underwater documentaries and classic feature films.
- Creation and programming of a computer data-base covering rights availability and catalogue management.


and lots more before that too.....(Andy Warhol, Jacques Tati, Les Enfants du Rock, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Martin Hannett, etc. etc. etc.......)

DOWNLOAD FULL CV and detailed information here in .pdf format (170k - requires Acrobat)

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