INVENTIVE LEADERSHIP:

ITV Studios managing director Julian Bellamy empowers far-flung producers to develop their own concepts

Managing director Julian Bellamy encourages creativity in ITV Studios’ network of producers.

By Tim Dams

Asked for the secret to running a global studio, ITV Studios managing director Julian Bellamy has a simple answer: “Hire good people.” “Give them a very clear direction, trust them, empower and enable them to do their job. And obviously hold them accountable, just as I am,” he adds.

A former producer and network executive, Bellamy joined ITV Studios in 2014. Having worked both as a buyer and creator of content, he understands the demands of production as well as the needs of broadcasters and streaming platforms.

Drawing on this experience, Bellamy says that during his time in charge at ITV Studios he has sought to build a company that is “creative, entrepreneurial and global” in outlook.

Bellamy believes creativity is “the very first foundation stone of any producer, large or small.” ITV Studios, he adds, gravitates toward working with entrepreneurial talent: “The people who tend to flourish with us are a blend of great creators, but there’s a commercial mindset that comes with them. More often than not, they are people who want to build businesses.”

ITV Studios, he explains, has a “very strong philosophy” about how it works with creative talent in the group, and that is by giving them trust and freedom. “There is an independence of spirit running through the group,” says Bellamy. “We think you get the best out of people if they feel they are running their own shop.”

Bellamy also stresses the global mindset of ITV Studios. Just 10 years ago, ITV Studios was essentially a U.K. group with a relatively small international arm. These days, it is much more worldly: 55% of its revenue is now generated outside of the U.K.

As for so many in the entertainment industry, the COVID-19 pandemic has proved a testing time professionally for Bellamy. ITV Studios, he says, had some 230 shows that were shooting, either in the field or in studios, when lockdowns hit.

Most had to shut down. But now 80% of those shows are back in production and that figure is rising daily.

COVID-19, he reckons, has been a catalyst for technical innovation. “It’s going to leave a lasting impact on the business,” says Bellamy. ɿ

“[Creativity is] the very first foundation stone of any producer, large or small.” JULIAN BELLAMY