It is with heavy hearts that we announce the loss of inspirational John Caldon, Chairman and CEO of Flame Media (parent company to Flame Distribution).

A prominent TV industry leader, John passed away on Tuesday 16^th of February following an 11 month courageous battle with cancer at the age of 73.  British born, and a proud Yorkshire man with a big heart, he was based in Australia for many years with his life and business partner Lyndey Milan, (Creative Director of Flame Media, and an award-winning Australian food/drink TV personality).  Although he emigrated there in 1973, since he established Flame Media, he and Lyndey spent most of their time split between Australia and the company’s UK office – seeing both countries as his ‘home’.

He always had a strong interest in Ancient Greece (and Rome) so it is no coincidence that his foray into television began in 2010 with the filming of Lyndey & Blair’s Taste of Greece where he was the archaeological adviser as well as EP.  John and Lyndey founded Flame Media in 2010 as an integrated, global TV group with production, distribution and an advisory division. Until his cancer diagnosis in April 2020 it included TV production with Flame Productions in Australia, Wildflame Productions in the UK and Flame Media GmbH in Germany; and Flame Corporate which advised the media industry on funding, government assistance, mergers and acquisitions. 

Today, the Flame Media Businesses features Flame Distribution, a leading TV production/distribution business specialising in high-end actual/documentary content, with a catalogue consisting 4,000 hours of programming. Alongside Flame Distribution, Flame Media also operates Flame Stock, a stock footage clipping and sales business, the Flame Co-production Alliance which fosters international co-productions between producers who worked with Flame and an in-house production development team that partners with producers to attract commissions for projects, as well as Flame Studio Sydney, a multi-functional sound-controlled studio designed to meet the needs of shooting all genres including food, products, fashion, interviews and more for film and television. 

John Caldon was a successful entrepreneur and had a strong vision for the company, which is shared by the well-established senior management team, most of whom have been with Flame since its inception.  This vision will burn brightly as the company moves forward and continues to grow and expand to keep his legacy alive.  

A Cambridge graduate (MA in Classics), prior to forming Flame Media, John had a successful business career holding various prominent positions – a founder and deputy CEO of Macquarie Bank, a partner in Price Waterhouse, and Chairman of ARTC (Australian Rail Track Corporation).

Fiona Gilroy, Content Sales & Acquisitions Director said, “John was a truly wonderful person, with a warm heart and incredible mind.  He loved the people and places he interacted with, always curious and enamoured of life.  He was well-respected across the TV industry and was extremely focused on bringing out the best in everyone.  He will be sorely missed.”