Stefan Demetriou appointed Managing Director of Globe Productions

11 September 2017 - Press release

Universal Music UK puts visual A&R to the fore with key strategic appointment at its award-winning creative and commercial division
 
Universal Music UK has appointed Grammy-nominated Stefan Demetriou as Managing Director of Globe Productions, a move which brings one of the UK music industry’s most celebrated audiovisual creatives together with Universal Music’s market-leading, Oscar-winning creative and commercial partnerships division.
 
Demetriou arrives at an exciting time for Universal Music as it prepares for next year’s move to its state-of-the-art HQ in Kings Cross - one of the UK’s fastest growing creative quarters. The new building is being kitted out with a bespoke array of in-house filming and editing facilities to provide the launch-pad for Demetriou and the Globe team to take audiovisual A&R to the next level in UK music.
 
In the ever-evolving world of music-driven content and formats, Demetriou will have an initial focus on providing strategic visual A&R support to the company’s market-leading label teams and artists in creating compelling short- and long-form content.
 
Universal Music UK chairman David Joseph says, “The synergy between the worlds of music and visual has never been more relevant, with story-telling visual A&R now an essential part of any successful creative campaign. Our investment in this area will give artists and managers something way ahead of any current offering.”
 
As part of UMG’s global audiovisual strategy, Demetriou will be spearheading an ambitious new phase for Universal Music UK’s Globe division after a 20-year career with EMI and latterly Warner Music, where he launched the Firepit creative studio last year. His career has seen him oversee visual output for artists as diverse as Ed Sheeran, Muse, Gorillaz, Blur, Robbie Williams, Coldplay, Kylie Minogue, Tinie Tempah and Iron Maiden.
 
An alumnus of the prestigious film industry programme Inside Pictures, Demetriou is a multiple Grammy nominee for a range of feature documentaries, including his acclaimed work with Coldplay with whom he has worked closely since they signed, producing or exec producing all their audiovisual and longform projects since 2003. Most recently, Demetriou produced Ed Sheeran's feature-length programme "Jumpers For Goalposts" for NBC and Sky, which has played theatrically in more than 95 countries.
 
Demetriou will report to Globe President Marc Robinson when he joins Universal Music in October.
 
Robinson says: “Globe’s strength has always been its ability to collaborate and co-produce with talent and experts across the board in bringing ideas to life, offering creative, commercial and career-defining moments to our artists and managers.
 
“As we build on our current slate with different platforms and broadcasters, alongside the ground-breaking work being done in the branded content space, we are excited to welcome Stefan to the team so we can continue to pioneer and lead the pack in this field as part of UMG’s global audiovisual strategy.”  
 
Demetriou says: “I’m delighted to be joining Marc’s Oscar-winning team at Globe. It’s an exciting time for Universal Music, particularly with the move to its new state-of-the-art headquarters next year. I am looking forward to collaborating with external producers and partners as well as developing the existing team to create compelling and creative content.”
 
When Globe launched in 2012, its vision of bringing sync and brand partnerships together with content creation under one roof was a first for a music company, and it has proved to be an award-winning formula.
 
In the past year alone, successful music partnerships brokered by Globe have included House of Vans, Jaguar Land Rover, Coca Cola, Carling and Samsung whose pairing with Polydor artists Years & Years resulted in a ground-breaking and award-winning VR campaign.
 
Alongside the brand work have been countless impactful music syncs, kicking off with the London 2012 Olympics, while Globe Productions has produced longforms for Queen, Take That, Paul Weller and Elton John as well as the long-running Launched with Red Bull/Future Sounds series on Channel 4. Globe Productions also partnered with Asif Kapadia and James Gay-Rees’ On The Corner for the Oscar and Bafta-winning AMY.