Meet the key members of our outstanding service management team.
Tony Cohen is Chief Executive Officer of FremantleMedia, one of the world’s largest international creators, producers and distributors of leading prime time entertainment, serial drama, and factual entertainment television programming.
Owned by the RTL Group, FremantleMedia has a group turnover of over €1bn. It is a world leader in content production with more than 300 series a year produced across its international network of companies in 24 countries. The company also specialises in the extension of television entertainment brands through international distribution, licensing, sponsorship, gaming and branded entertainment.
Tony Cohen, who has been CEO of the company since 2001, joined FremantleMedia (then Pearson Television) in 1995 as Managing Director of the Broadcasting Division, responsible for the company’s broadcasting investments. He then ran the company’s US production operation in Los Angeles for a number of years.
Cohen began his career as a newspaper journalist. He joined London Weekend Television in 1979 where he held senior editorial posts, producing programming for the ITV network, Channel 4 and the London region.
Wolf Bauer, CEO, UFA Film and TV Produktion, studied Journalism and History of Art in Munich and Berlin (graduating with M.A. honours). He initially began working from 1976 as a political features writer for the ZDF programme "Kennzeichen D".
In 1980, Wolf came to UFA Film-und Fernsehproduktion as an editor and producer and has served as executive producer and CEO for UFA Film & TV Produktion since 1991. Since the founding of FremantleMedia in 2000, he has also sat on the operating board of this globally active production company. FremantleMedia is the international production arm of the RTL Group which also includes UFA.
Under his leadership, UFA has developed into a highly efficient production group with seven subsidiaries which have continuously expanded their leading market position as a film and television producer in Germany in recent years. As head of UFA, Wolf founded Grundy UFA in 1991 with Reg Grundy, the Australian gameshow and daily drama pioneer. Together with Mike Murphy, the two turned it into Europe's largest producer of daily dramas. In 1998, he joined forces with Prof. Nico Hofmann and Ariane Krampe to set up teamWorx.
Gary Carter is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of FremantleMedia. He is also responsible for the company’s operations in Northern and Southern Europe, Central Eastern Europe and the Balkans, and is Chief Creative Officer of FMX, the company’s experimental cross platform division.
As COO, Carter has responsibility for key central operational functions at FremantleMedia. He also heads up Creative Networks, a division combining the Worldwide Drama and Worldwide Entertainment departments of FremantleMedia. The division secures formats in all genres for the FremantleMedia group worldwide, through acquisition and development, and is also responsible for the roll out of entertainment and drama formats through FremantleMedia’s worldwide production network.
As Chief Creative Officer for FremantleMedia Cross Platforms (FMX) Carter oversees the creative development of entertainment formats and brands for the increasingly important mobile, broadband, games consoles and Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) platforms.
Carter joined FremantleMedia Worldwide Entertainment in January 2005, having been a consultant for the company since August 2003. Prior to setting up his own consulting business, he was Executive Director, Programme Affairs, at Endemol Entertainment International for five years, responsible for the roll out of its key programme brands. Before joining Endemol, he was International Business Manager for Planet 24 Productions and a literary agent for Roger Hancock for almost 10 years. He trained as an actor at the University of Cape Town.
David Ellender is Chief Executive Officer of FremantleMedia Enterprises, the commercial and brand extension arm of FremantleMedia, spanning 11 international offices worldwide. He is also a member of the FremantleMedia Operating Board.
Ellender oversees FME’s core business functions of international distribution, licensing (covering a broad range of activities including consumer products, brand licensing, live events, sponsorship/integration, online, gaming, gambling) and home entertainment which are operated out of three regional hubs: the Americas, EMEA and Asia Pacific. Acquisitions & content/IP development, joint ventures and investments are also overseen by Ellender, as is the Children and Family Entertainment division, launched in October 2009.
FME works with leading producers, broadcasters and third party content/IP partners around the world for optimal brand management across its business divisions spanning all genres. Key brands and franchises include American Idol, Got Talent, Project Runway, The Adventures of Merlin, the Jamie Oliver and Martha Stewart portfolios and Thom Beers’ Original Productions portfolio of programming.
Prior to FME, Ellender was Managing Director, Europe at Universal Studios Television Distribution where he was responsible for developing the overall long-term strategy for the European pay & free TV distribution business, covering Universal’s wide range of feature films and network television series. He also directed the successful transition of the integration process of PolyGram TV International into Universal, to create a new European-wide structure.
As President of PolyGram TV International, Ellender built and managed the company’s global pay & free TV sales team; licensing Polygram and third party feature films & TV series, music specials and in addition, initiated and implemented PolyGram’s Children’s TV Production and Distribution strategy and forged strategic alliances with Pay-TV Services in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Other positions he has held include Head of Video & Television Sales for Virgin Vision, Commissioning Editor of British Satellite Broadcasting’s music channel The Power Station, and Director of International Sales, Europe for Viacom International.
Cecile Frot-Coutaz is the Chief Executive Officer, FremantleMedia North America.
Frot-Coutaz was promoted to CEO in July 2005 and manages all business and operational matters for FremantleMedia North America. She is a member of the FremantleMedia Operating Board.
In this capacity she oversees production, legal and business affairs and explores strategic growth opportunities for FremantleMedia North America.
Prior to her promotion to CEO, Frot-Coutaz was Chief Operating Officer for FremantleMedia North America and executive producer on the phenomenally successful talent show, American Idol.
Frot-Coutaz joined the Pearson Group in London having earned an MBA from INSEAD, Paris in 1994. In 1995, when Pearson purchased the assets of Grundy Television, Cecile was promoted to Corporate Strategy Executive.
In 1998, she joined one of two teams that managed the integration of All-American Fremantle assets into the Pearson family as Deputy CEO Southern Europe and Managing Director France.
Frot-Coutaz moved to San Francisco in 2000 to develop online and interactive strategies for Pearson before being appointed Executive Vice President Commercial and Operations for FremantleMedia North America.
Nicky Gray is Director of Human Resources of FremantleMedia.
Nicky was appointed Director of Human Resources in 2002 and is responsible for setting HR function strategy and ensuring its effective operation and execution throughout the FremantleMedia Group worldwide.
A key part of Nicky's role is to ensure the company attracts and retains talent by ensuring that it has the correct reward and development processes in place.
Nicky is a member of the FremantleMedia Board.
Prior to joining FremantleMedia, Nicky held senior HR positions for a variety of companies including Express Newspapers, Centrica Plc and Tate & Lyle Plc. During her time as Director of HR at Express Newspapers, Nicky ran the HR service for 1,000 employees and was a group board member.
Sara Geater is the Chief Executive Officer of FremantleMedia UK, one of the UK’s most successful production companies encompassing a group of labels including Boundless, Retort, Talkback, Thames and a digital division, FremantleMedia UK Interactive. Sara was promoted to this role in October 2010.
Sara joined FremantleMedia UK (formerly talkbackTHAMES) as Chief Operating Officer in March 2007. Prior to this Sara had been Head of Commercial Affairs at Channel 4 since April 2004. Before this Sara, held the post of Director of Rights and Business Affairs at the BBC where she negotiated the first Codes of Practice between the BBC and the Independent Sector.
During her time as Head of Film & TV at Avalon and before this, as Head of Production at HAL/Miramax Films (credits include Mansfield Park, Birthday Girl and Elephant Juice), Sara also built up solid experience of the independent sector.
Sara’s television career began in drama production as a Production Accountant at LWT. She went on to work in the independent sector as a Line Producer where credits include Time Gentlemen Please, The Dawning and as a Producer on Business as Usual for Canon Films. Following this Sara joined Channel 4 as a Drama Co-Production Executive where she oversaw 150 films including Train Spotting, Shallow Grave and drama series including GBH and Politician’s Wife.
Sara is a barrister, holds a private pilot's licence and is a Fellow of the RSA.
Ian Ousey is the Finance Director for FremantleMedia. He is responsible for the company’s financial performance and risk management.
Ian was appointed Finance Director in January 2002, reports to Tony Cohen, CEO FremantleMedia and is a member of the FremantleMedia Operating Board.
Prior to this appointment, Ian spent 2001 at RTL Group in Luxembourg working with the CFO to restructure the headquarters’ finance function.
Previously, Ian was Group Director of Finance at Pearson Television, Chief Accounting Officer and Vice President, Finance and Administration at Grundy Worldwide Ltd and Finance & Administration Manager at Bjorn Borg Design Group.
Ian qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1987 with PriceWaterhouseCoopers in London after graduating from Exeter University in 1984.