As previous Head of Technology for Television Production at the BBC, Bill Garrett is charged with keeping millions of viewers glued to their television sets.
The Electronic Engineering graduate has held numerous jobs around the world – Australia, Sweden and the UK – before taking up his current role developing the BBC’s broadcasting technology, captivating the audience through new and innovative television.
“I am dedicated to finding ways to keep the creativity that we and the audience members see on British television and that I grew up on,” said Bill.
Since graduating from Staffordshire University in 1990, Bill has held numerous roles including a researcher and reporter in radio and a journalist on Newsroom Southeast, the BBC’s regional TV news programme, before leaving to embark on a research degree at the University of Westminster. He then entered the world of publishing and telecoms, before moving ‘down-under’ in 2001 to become a commercial helicopter pilot for two years. He eventually went back to the BBC as a producer on the long running Money Programme, later moving into technology and a promotion to his Head of Technology role in 2006 before leaving in 2010.
“I think one should change one’s job every three or four years,” explained the 41-year-old Bill, adding that the drive behind his own diverse career path is the desire to be creative “because life is full of opportunities and challenges.”
Bill, who is awarded an Honorary Doctorate for his support and inspiration to Staffordshire University undergraduates, advises and assists with the Film Production Technology course and is a judge at the Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Technology’s GradEx exhibition.