"The Great Tiger Moth Air Race": Ivan flying during filming for his first documentary, BBC1, 1978.

 

Ivan Rendall: college times

About Ivan Rendall

Ivan Rendall is an experienced writer and journalist who has worked in the media industry for over 30 years. Most of his time has been as a television producer and executive but he has also been a writer, narrator and consultant. He is currently developing television, online, multi-platform and book formats based on modern history, politics, social issues, travel and popular music.

Ivan Rendall: ‘selfie’ 2013

He has originated, written, narrated and produced television and radio programmes, mainly historical documentaries, but he has also supervised drama, music, children’s TV both as a creative and corporate executive. He has led many innovative production teams in developing landmark, prime time series in a wide variety of genres for the major UK and international broadcasters including BBC, ITV, Chanel 4, FIVE.

Ivan has written 10 books, including several best-selling television tie-ins, and free standing popular histories of aviation, motor racing and the emergency services. He has been an historical consultant in publishing and in television and contributed articles to the general and specialist press.

He has travelled widely all his life, both on his own account and in the course of his work. His work has taken him to Europe, the Middle East, USA, Australia and Africa. He is currently researching and writing a family based history on the origins of British imperialism in Jamaica, North America, Australasia and particularly India and started writing fiction.

Ivan was managing director of one of Britain’s leading independent production companies Zenith Entertainment Ltd. He was executive producer of many individual programmes and ultimately responsible for all the companies output, some 250 hours annually of live and recorded music, drama, children’s programmes, animation, factual, documentary and current affairs programmes.

Under Ivan’s leadership Zenith’s programmes have been nominated for many domestic and international awards. They have won some 40 prizes including 8 BAFTAS, 10 Royal Television Society rewards, Comedy Broadcast, Environmental Media and TV Quick awards, the Prix Leonardo and a New York Film Festival Silver Medal.

He has served on many BAFTA and Royal Television Awards juries and has been a guest speaker at industry functions such as the Institute of Economic Affairs: The Future of Television. He was a director of Northern Film Commission and a director of the PACT Independent Production Training Fund.

Ivan Rendall is married, with three grown up children and four grandchildren and lives and works in Worcestershire.