Andrew Whitman of is named first Chief Executive of Digital Media Centre

Phoenix Arts have announced the appointment of a new chief executive officer who will take up responsibility for the new Digital Media Centre. Andrew Whitman is currently commissioning executive for UKTV and will take up his new role on Monday 3rd March 2008.

Andy will be taking responsibility for the Digital Media Centre currently being developed in the heart of Leicester’s cultural quarter. He is looking forward to working in partnership with Leicester City Council, De Montfort University, LSEP and Blueprint to drive this venture.

Speaking about his appointment, Andy said, ‘I am thrilled to have been appointed to this exciting role. The Digital Media Centre must build on the reputation of Phoenix Arts and be at the heart of Leicester’s creative and business future.

'I hope to bring some of the strategies and thinking from the creative, broadcasting and production communities in digital television to this major development in the City. This is a crucial time to be thinking about how we serve audiences and deliver a wide range of digital media to them.

Andy’s career ranges from producing and directing childhood favourites such as 'Blue Peter’ and ‘Grange Hill’ for BBC Television, to launching channels like BBC World and the original portfolio at UKTV. It also includes international ventures such as BBC Arabic TV News and BBC Hindi TV News in Delhi. Andy has been UKTV’s Commissioning Executive for Factual, overseeing its documentary, sport and history programmes. He’s been Executive Producer of dozens of original series, including ones presented recently by Sir David Attenborough, Alan Titchmarsh and historian Michael Wood. He was also the Executive on UKTV History’s major, interactive, multi-platform commission ‘Britain’s Best’ last year. His other credits include UKTV’s coverage of the 2006 World Cup and the ‘UKTV Sport’ series which won a Royal Television Society Award.

Andy’s association with the East Midlands goes back to his childhood. He grew up in south-east Derbyshire and went to Nottingham High School before studying English at Cambridge. This link was strengthened ten years ago when, in search of a better quality of life, he and his family moved from west London to Foxton near Market Harborough from where Andy has since made the daily commute to Central London. He won’t miss the 0747 to St. Pancras – but he did recently head the local campaign to keep Harborough’s train service in the face of government plans to reduce it. Andy is married with two teenage children, both of whom go to school in Leicester. He is a life-long Tigers supporter and often referees youth rugby at weekends.