ActiveTV Asia has announced three key appointments to its management team.
Marc Checkley (pictured right) has been appointed Head of Development (Asia), and will be responsible for creating new content, new business and partnerships across the region. Checkley replaces Rob Khoo, who is leaving to pursue personal interests.
Checkley, previously the Group Editor of Television and Entertainment at Ten Alps Asia, has worked in television, radio, print and online media for more than a decade. Originally from New Zealand, he has worked on such productions as Inside New Zealand (TV3), Shortland Street (TVNZ) and Gotcha (MediaCorp). Before returning to Singapore in 2008 Checkley was in Beijing, developing and producing the Olympic Channel with the China Daily, an online lifestyle news channel. He has also worked in kids TV, theatre and is currently an advisor to Singapore’s Workforce Development Authority’s Creative Industries training framework.
Joining Checkley is Stella Wong, who is now Head of Finance. Wong’s previous appointments were with Procter and Gamble and more recently with the Singapore office of Ogilvy & Mather. Wong is overseeing the financial management of the group’s activities throughout the region.
Additionally, Kay Lawrence has been made Group General Manager of activeTV’s operations across the Asia-Pacific. Lawrence has worked in television for more than 20 years. Previously she was General Manager at McMahon International and spent 15 years with Jonathan M Shiff Productions Australia, producing more than 160 hours of television drama and financing more than $110 million in production. Her credits include Executive Producing H20 Just Add Water and four series of the highly acclaimed BAFTA winning Ocean Girl.
“The industry in Asia is heading into a great period of change, growth and opportunity and this new management team positions us to take full advantage of this changing environment,” said Michael McKay, President, activeTV. “Commissioned programming is still fundamental to our business, as is acquiring international formats, but creating our own fresh formats and exporting them internationally is becoming more important.”
McKay added that the active team is also focusing on creating greater synergies between the markets in Australia and Asia, and with its US-based partners, headed by Bertram van Munster, co-creator of hit reality series The Amazing Race.
