British Film Institute Hires Digital Guru

LONDON – The British Film Institute has hired Edward Humphrey to head up the organization's digital strategy.

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Humphrey, whose resume boasts stints at ITV, Virgin Media, Zodiak Media and Disney, is tasked with pushing out the BFI's digital platform strategy "to maximize and increase "the reach and value of the BFI’s cultural content."

He will look to establish commercial partnerships, such as a partnership with Samsung for a smart TV application, which launched during last year’s BFI London Film Festival. Plans are also afoot to establish and rollout a BFI VOD platform.

Starting his role as BFI director of digital on Jan. 14, Humphrey joins the BFI’s senior executive team and reports directly to BFI CEO Amanda Nevill.

Humphrey will also be tasked with leading the next phase of the BFI’s own web site and will also work closely with teams across the BFI to deliver its ambitious plans to digitize 10,000 films – the BFI 10K - over the next five years. That is a strategic priority set out by the BFI's strategy document "Film Forever" published last year.

Nevill said: "We have big digital ambitions and working with the committed and talented BFI digital team Edward [Humphrey] will be instrumental in rolling out our Film Forever plans next year."

Humphrey added that digital and social media "have fundamentally shifted the way audiences discover, watch and talk about film." He added: "By using these new platforms, we have a unique opportunity to unlock the magic of the U.K.'s cinematic history and help shape its future."