Vice Director of Discovery Networks Asia

As director of Production, Vikram Channa is currently responsible for supervising all local productions from the Asia Pacific region in Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific, which headquarters in Singapore.  His team produce around 100 hours program each year, for Operating Channels that owned and operated by Discovery Networks Asia, a division of Discovery Communications.

Vikram Channa brings with him extensive production experience. He began his working career in India as an independent producer where he worked in news for New Delhi Television, India’s premier news content provider. Vikram joined Discovery Networks Asia in November 1995 as producer - On-Air Promotions and was responsible for developing the on-air packaging for Discovery Channel across the Asia Pacific region, including India.  In that role, he was also involved in localizing and customizing short-form programming content across the region.
He has also won numerous awards for his brand campaigns and documentaries for Discovery Networks Asia including the prestigious Promax International, Asian Television Awards, Omni awards etc.

Chris Oliver

CEO of Tindale Road Investments
 

Chris Oliver is CEO of Tindale Road Investments – an investment vehicle, providing funds to Australian Production companies, including cashflowing TV productions and international co productions. He is also a consultant to companies focusing on TV and documentary co production with China and Asia. 
From 1990 to 2000, Chris was on the executive management team at Film Australia where he executive produced more than 100 hours of documentary production, including award winning programs Rats in the Ranks, Admission Impossible, Catalyst, Mystique of the Pearl and The Great Wildlife Heist. Chris has also coproduced documentaries and documentary series with CCTV, NHK, KBS, PBS, BBC, TVO Canada, TV Cultura Brazil, and Dordarshan India. From 2000 to 2009 he was an Investment Manager and the Australian Film Finance Corporation.
From 2009 to July 2014 Chris was part of Screen Australia’s senior executive management team. He was in charge of industry partnership programs including implementing Screen Australia’s strategy of increasing Australia’s production engagement with Asia. Chris has lead 4 Australian producer delegations to China in 4 years including two for documentary – one in November 2013 (to Beijing and Sichuan) and to Chengdu in March 2014 to Asian Side of the Doc. He has been on the Jury for International Festivals and a panellist and moderator at international documentary forums.

Satoshi Kitagawa
Executive Producer, Business Development Headquarters
 

After Satoshi Kitagawa graduated from Keio University, he joined the NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation). From 1999 to 2005 he was the chief producer in satellite-broadcasting department.
From 2005 to 2008 he was the head of current affairs & cultural programs. During that time, he developed many new TV formats and won numerous international and domestic awards. 
 

Major Works:
“A Daughter of Yan'an ~ At the Mercy of Cultural Revolution” Won：
•2002 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Best Documentary
•2002 Pennsylvania Film Festival, Grand Prix
•2002 Chicago International Film Festival, Silver Hugo Award
•2002 Berlin International Film Festival, Official Invitation
 “Appropriated Japanese Left in China ~ Hidden History behind the War”
“Peaceful Tomorrows ~ 9.11 Victims Opposing to War”
Publication
Evacuating from the Island ~ Eruption of a Volcano
Chisso. Minamata ~ Confession of Corporate Engineers

Chen, Dali             

Chen Dali, director and senior editor of BTV Documentary Channel, vice-president of Documentary Committee of China Radio and Television Association, vice president of Television Documentary Academy Committee of China Television Artists Association, vice-chairman of China Film and Television Art Association; senior consultant of Southwest China Documentary Research Committee, and visiting professor at School of Management, Communication University of China.

Major works:
The documentary “Fleeting Time” (the director, photographer and writer) of 1998, won the Jury Special Award at Monaco International Film Festival and the first prize of China Television Documentary Academic Awards;
The documentary “Great Hall of the People” (the writer) of 2010, obtained the Documentary Fund from SARFT, and won China TV “Starlight Award” of 2011 and China TV “Golden Eagle Award” of 2012.

Zhang, Tongdao
 

Zhang Tongdao, professor and PhD tutor at School of Art and Communication, Beijing Normal University, director of Documentary Center, famous documentary scholar and producer. Zhang was a selected candidate for “New Century Talents” sponsored by the Ministry of Education and was awarded as one of the Beijing’s Top Ten Film Figures of 2009. He was on the judge panel of China Golden Eagle TV Art Festival, Sichuan International TV Festival, Canada’s Banff Film Festival and US Reel China Film Festival. He was a visiting scholar at New York University in US from 2004 to 2005, and attended the international academic conferences held in US, Europe, Korea and Hong Kong in the name of main academic spokesman. He has been in charge of the writing and planning work for Blue Book: Annual Report on the Development of China Documentary since 2009.
 

Major works:
“Community Board” of 2011, was nominated for the 14th International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam;
“Four Sisters from Baima” of 2003, was nominated for the 18th Fribourg International Film Festival; 
“Kids Kingdom” of 2009, won the 10th Sichuan International Golden Panda Award;  
“Secrets of Growing Up” of 2009 (18 episodes have been completed);    
“Our Kids” of 2010, co-produced with Singapore party (10 episodes);
“Secrets of Growing Up: Primary School Age” of 2012 (12 episodes)

Zhang, Yaxin
 

Zhang Yaxin, professor of TV and Journalism College in Communication University of China; director of the School of TV Programs. Zhang Yaxin planned many TV series which win a number of national awards. At the same time, she serves as a judge in many national awards such as China Jin Ying TV Awards (Documentary Award), Chinese Documentary Academic Awards, China Horse Awards and Chinese Television Artists Association.  

Major Works:
Comparative Study of Documentaries: TV memories of Public culture, Communication University of China Press, 06/2006
Comparison of Chinese and Foreign Documentaries, Beijing Normal University Press, 09/1999
Introduction to Television, China Radio and Television Press, 08/1997
Ms Zhang was a guest professor as University of Paris II in 2007, and her subjects included:
- A survey of the development of TV programs in China
- The Present Situations of Television News in China
- The Television Broadcasting System in China
- Chinese documentaries since 1980~2007

Liang，Bibo

Liang Bibo, a Chinese documentary filmmaker, now takes the position of the chief of Bibo Liang Workshop of China Central Studio of News Reels Production based on Beijing. With more than 20-year’s experience in filmmaking, Bibo has made over 100 documentary films and episodes. He has won six international awards, including that from Festival International de Films EthnographiquesetSciologues, Paris. He has also been invited for ten times to be the jury of various international film festivals, like IDFA（International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam) .In 2001, Bibo lived in the United States as a visiting fellow of the Asian Cultural Council. In China, bibo is a May 1st Labour medalist and enjoys the State Council Special Allowance for his outstanding contribution to the documentary films.

Major Works：
 “SAN JIE CAO”, won the Special Award in 20th Festival International de Films EthnographiquesetSciologues, Paris.
“Life and MARRIAGE”, won the MEDIAWAVE'2000-International Festival Of Visual Arts. Gyôr. Hungary, and 5th ASTRA FILM FESTIVAL International Festival of Documentary Film.
“Raising Baby Gaint Panda”, won 2007 Sichuan TV Festival International “Gold Panda” Awards for Documentary, Special Jury Award for Nature and Environment.

Fan, Qipeng

Fan Qipeng, deputy professor at School of Art and Communication, Beijing Normal University, PhD on Radio and TV Art, and documentary producer. Fan has served as secretary-general of the Organizing Committee at the 17th and 18th Beijing College Student Film Festivals and involved in one Key Project of Philosophy Social Science Research sponsored by the Ministry of Education, 4 projects supported by the Ministry of Education and Beijing Government, 3 projects supported by Beijing Normal University, and 4 university-level projects. Fan has published one monograph and been a member of Research Group of “Research Reports on the Development of China Documentary” for consecutive three years. He was also served as vice-editor of “Research Reports on the Development of China Documentary” in 2012, 2013 and 2014. His works have won many awards at various international film festivals including Aljazeera International Documentary Film Festival and Sichuan International TV Festival. 

Major works:
 “China Insight via TV Eye”, “Secrets of Growing up”, “Kids Kingdom” (Documentary Film), “Classical Documentaries”, “Classics of the Century”, “Long-length Footages of the Century”, “Three Sisters from Baima” (3 episodes),  “Dang Li Ge Dang”, “Pengpeng Scholl” etc.