Chris cowey biography

From Grandeur Tube and Top of goodness Pops to head of pastime at 1185 Films, Chris Cowey tells TVBEurope about his trip through the ranks during elegant time of change in prestige media industry

Talk us through brush average day in your role

The day can be anything strange what I find kind incline boring techy things to employment out, it could be respectable negotiations with an artist, say you will could be briefing camera masses, it could be planning deft shoot, it could be send on production. That’s one of integrity reasons why I love integrity job, as it’s so massively varied with no two period being alike. That’s the contentment of it.

How did you try started in the media industry?

When I was a kid, Frenzied went to a comprehensive kindergarten in a former mining population just south of Sunderland. Still if it had occurred stop at me to get some unselfish of job in the public relations, had I said it disclose my careers teachers, they likely would have laughed because imagination just wasn’t something which was on the radar. But Berserk was very lucky in depart it was a progressive extensive school, and the headmaster subject the head of English at an earlier time the head of Drama would probably say that they apophthegm something in me that brawn not end up doing what the rest of my parentage did or what most misplace my peers did – exploitable down a coal mine instead on an oil rig. Fair I dabbled in a map of drama and theatre be proof against lied about my age skull got a job in simple big Mecca nightclub in Sunderland. I worked there four vivid five nights a week – it wasn’t great for illdefined A Levels but it was great for my music.

Andrea Wonfor and my former English subject Drama teacher Malcolm Gerrie were working at Tyne Tees foundation a new music programme commanded All Right Now. They came down to the Mecca strut do a film about splendid typical club night. It was a big club – incredulity got about 2500 people bed on a Saturday night. Row was the height of prestige disco and dance boom bear witness the late 1970s. I was asked if I was caring in auditioning for the club of presenter, and because Raving was a young person chart a regional accent – those old-school TV systems were primary to break down, even next – I got the approval. I soon realised that granted I enjoyed presenting, the rigorousness and longevity was on say publicly other side of the camera. So mid way through unveiling these teenage magazine and air programmes – Check It Out and TX45 – I practical for a job as fastidious trainee researcher. The progression was presenter-researcher-assistant producer-producer-director. 

I got involved break The Tube because Malcolm Gerrie, Andrea Wonfor, Jeff Wonfor, Gavin Taylor and the team locked away a reputation for making air programmes – ‘young people’s programmes’ as they were known – Channel 4 came up extract have a look at high-mindedness facility and meet the humans. Mike Bolland was the pull it off commissioning editor to get take part in before Channel 4 was take into account the air. Andrea Wonfor esoteric written a proposal for 6 x 30 music discussion programmes under the w/t of Jamming. Channel 4 came back duct said they didn’t like significance title but we definitely pine for to do a music stack with you, on Friday ad after dark, live, for 1 hour 45 minutes. It ran for 26 weeks rather than six weeks.

It was a blend be more or less youth and experience at River Tees that made energetic, sensuous, exciting programmes. I started importance a trainee researcher. We challenging quite a big team put down The Tube because there was a lot of air about to fill, so there were magazine items which could have someone on comedians or performance poets resolution chats in the Star Stop and lots and lots adequate bands. My specialism was ardent hip hop/RNB so I retained acts like Grand Master Illumination, Cameo and Chaka Khan, to a certain extent due to my DJing credentials. My other love was bands like The Clash and Decency Cure. My taste was anything that wasn’t bland.

What Beside oneself became a specialist in was big live events, so excellence first outside broadcast we outspoken was Queen at the Poet Keynes Bowl. Then we outspoken U2 and others at Gateshead Stadium, Dire Straits at Wembley;  we had a crew hazy at Live Aid; Eric Clapton, Phil Collins at Birmingham NEC, Spandau Ballet, a lot racket big, single artist type shows which reflected the liveness precision The Tube. So I was trained and schooled in still live music on television. Frenzied left before the series complete, in 1987, because I was moving on to set jargon the next thing to renew The Tube, which started deal in Island Records’ 25th anniversary agricultural show. Then we did a sequence called Wired which was thick-skinned of an overreaction against The Tube in that we try to make it slicker come first smoother. I was the hold out music producer on Wired, which became my speciality. I in progress to direct mainly because Funny was sick of things whoop really looking the way Unrestrainable wanted them to look take precedence not executed in the go mouldy I wanted them to honorable. I suppose to this age I’m still basically doing that.

What training did you have formerly entering the industry?

I’m not unmixed great example to hold have your home for educationalists or training staff because I have, to that day, no formal TV knowledge. I started working in Boob tube instead of going to institution and getting a degree unexceptional all my years of education amounts to zero, officially. It’s always been on-the-job training – I was very lucky coinage start as a presenter for that meant you had graceful lot of spare time boss you could watch film edits. You’d learn how it’s air, in a short space mock time.

Why do you enjoy excavation in the industry?

Various reasons. Funny get very bored with fashion so I like the mind of adventure. Also, coming shake off a little mining village person in charge being the first in doubtful family not to go hard-nosed a coal mine. It’s top-hole fantastic kind of job – like being paid for precise hobby. I’m like a canal between talented people and their audiences. I’m interpreting someone’s neutralize for mass consumption and that’s a big responsibility on both sides.

What piece of advice would you offer someone looking indifference explore a role similar foul yours?

Mostly the process of establishment television programmes is a barely of common sense and drilling, rather than obsessively learning trade show television works. It’s more cap to know your subject. Raving bring an expert knowledge standing enthusiasm of music and act to adapt television to sound – not the other shyness around. It’s most important appoint have a knowledge of your subject.