John Farrar, whose credits include “The Imposter,” has joined U.K. producer and digital content specialist Barcroft Studios. The company has also upped two senior staffers, with Alex Morris elevated to chief creative officer and Caspar Norman to chief operating officer.
The new recruit joins Barcroft from Nerd TV, the U.K. shingle he co-founded with Jago Lee and Charlie Parsons in 2010, and which was bought by Red Arrow Studios in 2012.
At Barcroft, Farrar will be creative director. The indie has a strong track record in short and mid-form content which it plays on its own Barcroft TV and on third-party online channels and platforms, attracting hundreds of millions of views. It has also moved into long-form content, and Farrar is tasked with maximizing the company’s long-form output and growing the number of external commissions.
As Nerd TV’s creative director, Farrar was behind shows including “12-Year-Old Lifer” for British broadcaster Channel 4, “Man v Viral” for National Geographic and “My Selfie Life” for U.S. cable channel Fusion. Prior to Nerd, he was head of development at Raw TV, where he developed “The Imposter.” He has also worked at Talkback Thames and Tiger Aspect.
Farrar will report to company CEO Sam Barcroft and Morris. “Barcroft Studios is the epitome of the modern production company – nimble, mischievous and finely tuned to the needs of a constantly evolving media landscape,” Farrar said. “The chance to join them at this pivotal time was irresistible.”
Earlier this month, Barcroft was recently commissioned by Channel 4 to produce more than 100 short-form digital films for its youth-skewed 4Real factual strand. The broadcaster is an investor in Barcroft via its Growth Fund. ITV Studios Global Entertainment distributes several of Barcroft’s shows internationally, striking deals with Australia’s Seven Network, and Discovery earlier this year.