CEO MONTHLY / ISSUE 3 2024 24 a 1% company shareholder and smashed a bottle of Dandelion and Burdock against the wall of The Pop Factory in honour of its opening. The premises contained a stateof-the-art studio space that was responsible for the vast production and recording of a high volume of original music programming at the time. Its extensive portfolio has included children’s programmes, factual entertainment series, and music events, such as Tom Jones at Cardiff Castle, Ryder Cup Opening Concert for Sky One, and Manic Millennium for BBC Wales. In 2005, Afanti staged Sir Tom performing on the green, green grass of home at Ponty Park to an audience of 20,000 in an emotional return to his hometown, in view of the terraced house where he grew up and the swings he used to play on as a young boy. Since then, Afanti’s company and programming was acquired for a period by Sky Media, producing informative programmes such as Paras Men of War, Secrets of the Mary Rose, and Britain’s Billionaire Immigrants. After Comcast acquired Sky Studios in 2018, Afanti felt it was in the company’s best interests to part ways and once again become a familyowned production company. This move was just prior to the pandemic and left the business alone to face a potential 60% hit in its turnover. Due to the founders’ strategic thinking, Afanti achieved an exponential growth of £1 million above its expected turnover that year. Its pioneering programming throughout the pandemic included Life Drawing Live!, presented by Joe Lycett with celebrity guests, and Channel 4’s The Perfect Pitch, which mirrored the 76% growth in caravan sales during lockdown Led by passionate founders Emyr and Mair, Afanti produced last year over 180 hours of content annually for the BBC, Founded by Emyr Afan and Mair Afan Davies, Afanti was born from their passion to create ambitious and people-first Welsh content. After 25 years of production, Avanti rebranded itself as Afanti in honour of the family name and a pun on the Italian for ‘go forward’. Since its inception, the company has grown exponentially, successfully navigating challenges such as the decline Established in 1997, Afanti is a renowned producer of award-winning factual and entertainment shows and a prominent leader in outside broadcasts and live events. The innovative company is unique in its creation of relatable network and regional content for diverse audiences. Its high-quality productions are instantly recognised for their unprecedented access and compelling storytelling. With its world-class production values, Afanti has fostered a home of creativity and originality and cultivated respect for Wales and Welsh culture. Under CEO Emyr Afan’s influential direction, the business will continue to push the boundaries of innovation and remain one step ahead of the competition. Emyr’s visionary leadership has led him to receive our award for this year’s Most Influential CEO 2024 - Wales (Media Production). in advertising revenue and the pandemic. The team at Afanti share a collective mission to make award-winning, talked about television and events that sell worldwide. In 2000, Afanti opened its first major studio complex, The Pop Factory, and launched its concept of making pop content with the music scene’s biggest names. Sir Tom Jones remains S4C, and Channel 4. On his role in the company, Emyr says, “It is my responsibility to lead the company strategically and creatively as the currency of our industry is ideas. I like to lead from the front with some of the biggest ideas such as the Pop Factory and Life Drawing Live!. Most recently, me and my daughter Naomi Ormonde, who heads up development in the company, secured access to Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, the world’s biggest cruise ship. I am currently on-board shooting for a UK broadcaster (not yet announced), but I can say it was one of the few opportunities that I could say to the channel, ‘If you don’t commission this, you will miss the boat!’” In addition to leadership at Afanti, Emyr has strived to represent the best interests of the industry in his role as the National Representative for Pact in Wales and by the creation of the Wales Screen Summit, the first ever broadcasting conference of scale in the capital. Over the coming year, Afanti will reflect on the current downturn in commissioning and place more emphasis on the creation of its own intellectual property. It is Emyr’s belief that success breeds success, and in the wake of winning accolades such as Cardiff Business of the Year and Creative Business of the Year, he recognises the strong industry competition and significant challenges Afanti has overcome. With the support of his co-founder Mair Afan Davies, his loving family, and his hardworking team, Emyr will continue to lead from the front while remaining actively involved in programme creation. For his inspiring leadership, we have bestowed on Emyr Afan this year’s award for Most Influential CEO - Wales (Media Production). Contact: Emyr Afan Company: Afanti Media Ltd Web Address: https://afantimedia.tv/ Excellence in Welsh Broadcasting
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