John Drury

John Drury is Head of Factual Programming for Granada International, the international distribution powerhouse representing more than 15,000 hours of programming across all genres.

The company further strengthened its factual portfolio through the merger with ITEL earlier this year.

John joined Granada International in September 1999 with a brief to expand the company's factual portfolio and build on relationships with independent production companies. He was previously Commercial Director for the BBC at its northern headquarters in Manchester, and responsible for successfully developing its non-licence fee funded international operation with a turnover of more than £6million in the first year.

He began his career as a newspaper journalist, winning a British Press Award for his work with The Sunday Times newspaper's Insight team and later the Rediffusion award for Best Radio Documentary.

His career then spanned nearly 20 years as a programme maker, editor and executive producer at the BBC, first as a radio producer on Radio 4's flagship current affairs programme File on Four. He was twice winner of a Sony award for best documentary and also won a Broadcasting Press Guild Award. John was producer/director of numerous network television documentaries, editor of the BBC's Special Documentaries Unit then Head of Factual Programming at the BBC in Manchester. During that period John was involved with several award winning programmes, and executive produced a number of factual dramas, including the BAFTA-nominated drama Breaking the Code, winner of the Special Jury Prize at BANFF.

Immediately prior to becoming Commercial Director, he was Managing Editor of the BBC's Entertainment & Features Department.