Versa Studios makes senior hires

VERSA Studios, the UK Film & TV studios business which recently launched studios in London and Manchester, has announced a series of senior management appointments across its Network.

VERSA Manchester sees former Head of Studios Management for The London Studios, Edward Harvey, join as Studios and Strategy Manager, focussed on operations in Manchester but also working across the wider group.

Harvey will be working with Carrie Reynolds who comes in as Operations Manager, having formerly run BBC studios in Glasgow and ITV Daytime in London.

Having recently launched VERSA ABC Skyline Studio currently hosting BBC’s Morning Live in Manchester’s iconic ABC Building, the group has also taken over operation of the Manchester Studios complex and is hosting productions including a prime time BBC show and a show for a major streaming service.

The refurbished former Manchester Studios will open in summer 2023. The complex will operate over 12 studios in all, as well as a purpose-built motion capture facility and music recording studio, both in partnership with industry third parties.

In London, VERSA London opened in November 2021. Sales and Outreach has been led by Kathy Schulz as Strategy and Business Development Advisor, who was previously MD of ITV’s The London Studios (TLS). Ginge Ames (previously of TLS and Riverside Studios) is Head of Operations with Errol Osman as Studio Manager (also formerly of TLS) and Liz Board (previously of ITV) as Studio Coordinator.

The studio, situated in West London, opened with Walk the Line (ITV, Lifted Entertainment) and has since housed productions including Blankety Blank (Thames TV, Fremantle) and Cooking with the Stars (South Shore Productions).

Last year, Chris Warden joined VERSA as Group Technical Manager looking after the technical infrastructure across the Network in all locations, and Victoria Finlay has been appointed to a new VERSA Studios Advisory Board.

Charlie Ingall, VERSA’s Executive Director comments; “The appointment of these experienced and renowned experts to the core of the VERSA operating team, shows our intent to not only provide great facilities, but also to provide world class service. We have assembled a fantastic team across all our sites in London and Manchester and I’m really excited about how we will all work together to grow and develop our offering for the film and TV industry.

“The feedback we have had from productions has been great and our team will continue to work closely across all of our facilities as we look to open further studios and grow the Network.”