Spirit Studios, the Channel 4-backed independent content production company has appointed Alex Fraser, one of the TV industry’s most experienced and respected producers in the newly created role of Creative & Board Advisor.
With a career spanning over thirty years in the TV industry, Alex was at the creative helm of Maverick TV for over twenty of them as Creative Director and joint CEO, overseeing the company’s popular factual format success with Embarrassing Bodies, How to Look Good Naked, Bizarre ER and Ten Years Younger alongside a raft of documentary/ factual output and children’s content.
Following five years leading the business under All3Media’s ownership Alex took on the Chief Creative role at 7 Network-backed 7Wonder, producing popular entertainment and features formats including What To Buy and Why, Back To The Land, Seven Year Switch, My Kitchen Rules and Bride and Prejudice. The company was subsequently acquired by the Banijay Group.
Alex joins Spirit Studios with a long term remit to help the purpose-driven company grow and achieve their creative, strategic and commercial ambitions.
Spirit Studios’ original programming includes ‘The Stand Up Sketch Show’ for ITV (winner of ‘Best Comedy’ at the International Format Awards); ‘BAMOUS’ for BBC, ‘The Whole Truth’, ‘First Impressions’, ‘Trigger Happy’ and ‘The Artists’ for Channel 4 and ’Comedy Against Living Miserably’ for Dave/UKTV.
Its growing network of popular podcasts, which have been downloaded over 50 million times include ‘Private Parts’ with Jamie Laing’, ‘Homo Sapiens’ with Chris Sweeney and ‘Oti Mabuse’s Rhythm of Life’, as well as a number of commissioned shows for BBC Sounds, Audible, Spotify and Red Bull.
“’I’ve always been genuinely passionate about making content with a purpose that is also highly engaging, and these ambitions lie at the heart of everything Spirit does. I’m joining at a time when the company is enjoying rapid growth across all the studios and I am really looking forward to working closely with them over the next few years to help fulfil their exciting creative and commercial potential,” said Alex Fraser, Creative & Board Advisor, Spirit Studios.
“Spirit is already on track to double its turnover this year and has a raft of new TV commissions and podcasts in pre-production. We are really excited about tapping into Alex’s vast experience to help us with this commercial and creative growth,” said CEO of Spirit Studios Peter Cowley.