KEiBA outstanding
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OUTSTANDING
CONTRIBUTION TO THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY OF KENT (sponsored by Kent
County Council and the KM Group)
Geoff Miles
Without Geoff Miles, Kent might
not be blessed
with such a flourishing media industry.
Since he and a partner raised
£4.25m to buy Maidstone Studios from Flextech some seven years ago, he has
injected money, energy
and vigour into a site that under different ownership might not
have survived as a media
beacon.
The former BBC producer has turned
the former TVS headquarters into a vibrant hub of creative talent,
investing in new studios and facilities that have attracted
programme-makers from far and wide.
It has become a premier location
for top shows such as Question Time, A Song for Europe and Trisha.
It develops local talent and underlines media as a pre-eminent Kent
business sector.
But Mr Miles is much more than a
media entrepreneur.
He involves himself in the county’s
wider economic scene. He chairs Kent Economic Board (KEB), East
Kent Local Strategic Partnership, KEB Business Advisory Board, KEB
Transport Task Group, and is a member of a string of other
specialist groups, including the Kent Film and Television
Board.
As a Kent Ambassador, he promotes
the county as a great place wherever he goes. It’s no surprise he
has dubbed Kent "the Mars Bar County - a great place to rest, work
and play."
Audio: Geoff Miles talks
to kmfm about his award
This is all serious stuff. But
Geoff Miles has had millions of television viewers in stitches. As
a BBC producer, he brought some of Britain’s best-loved comedians
to our TV screens, including Tommy Cooper, Morecambe and Wise, Bob
Monkhouse and Jasper Carrott. Hit shows such as Top of the Pops,
The Generation Game and Blankety Blank are on his list of
credits.
"I’m a Capricorn; I keep going, I
don't give in. If I've got something in my mind I won't let it go.
When you're doing something, you have to deliver. That has to be
all-consuming."
Geoff Miles admits he is nervous in
front of a crowd, perhaps a little surprising considering he
started his career on stage at Leas Cliff Pavilion, Folkestone. "I
was the worst actor you have ever seen. I would forget the opening
lines of a play. I used to get so nervous. I have worked with some
of the best, but standing up in front of people I find difficult. I
start shaking. I’ve total respect for performers."
For all his success, he remains
modest. "There’s nothing clever about me. If there’s a trick, it’s
getting the right people together. I’m just a bloke from Kent who
is fortunate enough to do something he enjoys."
He waves the flag for Kent. "From a
business point of view, it’s a fantastic place to be. Kent plc has
a great future."
Martin Jackson, a founder of TVS
and media commentator, says: "He is one of our unsung media
business heroes and long overdue for recognition. He is a man who
has not only transformed his own business sector but has made a
positive impact on the local economy right across Kent."
Thursday, June 25 2009
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