BARRY SPIKINGS' (producer), career in the filmed entertainment industry spans twenty five years. It represents a combination of business experience and creative achievement.
In 1980, Spikings was appointed Chairman and Chief Executive of EMI Film & Theater Corporation, Europe's largest diversified filmed entertainment group. His responsibilities included world-wide production of feature films and television programming; EMI Cinemas, one of Europe's biggest and most profitable chains' Elstre Studios, where he created a production base of the "Star Wars" series of films; live theater activities; and social centers. The organization numbered 4000 people.
Spikings entered the industry in 1969 as a director of Great Western, a U.K. company engaged in motion picture production and the music industry.
In 1972, he and his partner purchased control of British Lion Film Holdings, a publicly traded company which was the U.K.'s leading independent film production and distribution organization, British Lion owned Shepperton Studios of which Spikings became Chairman.
British Lion was restored to profitability and, until in 1975 sold to EMI, a $4 billion a year multi-national company, where Spikings occupied senior management positions before becoming Chairman of EMI Film & Theater Corporation.
In 1979, Spikings won a personal Oscar as producer of "The Deer Hunter" which was voted Best Picture of 1978 by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences as one of the most important pictures of the decade.
In 1986, Spikings became a founding shareholder and President of Nelson Holdings, a publicly traded company based in Hollywood, Nelson financed and co-financed films for the world market. A partnership with Castle Rock yielded such commercial and critical hits as "When Harry Met Sally," "Misery" and "City Slickers." Other films included "The Last Emperor," directed by Bernardo Bertolucci and winner of nine Oscars; the teenage hit, "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure," and "Hamlet," directed by Franco Zeffirelli and starring Mel Gibson. Nelson's assets were sold to New Line Cinema, a subsidiary of Turner Entertainment.
Spikings is currently partnered with former Orion Pictures chairman Eric Pleskow, and in addition to "BEYOND RANGOON," the Beverly Hills-based production company has several other projects in development.
