BFI appoints Edward Humphrey as director of digital

The BFI has appointed former ITV, Virgin Media and Disney employee Edward Humphrey to the newly created position of director of digital, effective from Jan 14.

Humphrey will report directly to BFI CEO Amanda Nevill.

With a new partnership with Samsung for a smart TV app launched last year, Humphrey will be tasked with developing a new BFI Player, a BFI VOD platform and developing commercial partnerships. The BFI wants to digitise at least 10,000 films over the next five years.

Amanda Nevill said: “I am very excited to welcome Edward to the BFI. He has outstanding international experience and he is very motivated to move our digital strategy forward at speed. We have big digital ambitions and working with the committed and talented BFI digital team Edward will be instrumental in rolling out our Film Forever plans next year.’

Humphrey added: “Digital and social media have fundamentally shifted the way audiences discover, watch and talk about film, and I’m very excited to lead the BFI’s response to this challenge. By using these new platforms, we have a unique opportunity to unlock the magic of the UK’s cinematic history and help shape its future.”