The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) has recruited IMDb founder and CEO Col Needham in the new role of global brand ambassador; as well as making two appointments to its board.
Needham will be responsible for representing the BBFC internationally with key stakeholders, contributing closely to the development of the international aspects of the BBFC’s strategy, including its work in the artificial intelligence space.
Former Warner Bros executive John Stanley and tech entrepreneur Darren Jobling have joined the BBFC board, and will work alongside BBFC chair Natasha Kaplinsky on the organisation’s strategic vision.
Four members are also departing the BBFC board: Mel Alcock, Claire Tavernier, John Aalbers and Lesley Mackenzie.
Vice presidents Murphy Cobbing and Kamlesh Patel, and chief executive David Austin also sit on the BBFC board, alongside the board’s classification directors.
“The newly created role of BBFC global brand ambassador is of supreme importance to us as we continue to build on the great work we are already doing with leading global streaming services, such as Netflix and Prime Video,” said Kaplinsky of Needham’s role, adding that the organisation has “worked closely” with IMDb “for many years”.
Needham founded online film database IMDb in 1990; the site became a wholly owned subsidiary of Amazon in 1998.
Stanley is a former EVP and MD at Warner Bros, where he led the UK-Ireland, Spain and Nordics home entertainment division for 15 years. Having worked for gaming brands Electronic Arts, Activision and Take Two, Jobling launched digital marketing startup ZeroLight in 2014.
The BBFC is an independent, not-for-profit classification agency, which provides age-appropriate ratings for films released in UK cinemas, on DVD and Blu-ray, as well as age ratings for VoD and music videos.
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