UNIVERSUM Gets New Topper

VIENNA: Andrew Solomon is to serve as the new head of ORF’s natural history and science department, UNIVERSUM.

Solomon has worked in TV in the U.K. as a film editor, researcher and producer. In France, he was executive producer for Docstar, the international documentaries investment arm of Canal+. In Germany, Solomon was the director of Studio Hamburg Documentaries, a subsidiary of pubcaster NDR, and later consultant to ZDF Enterprises.

Solomon commented: “In the U.K. I learned the nuts and bolts of TV production, particularly working with leading Indie Brook Lapping on documentaries and current affairs shows like Madness, The Washington Version, Fatwa and Hypotheticals.

“Docstar in Paris was a steep learning curve in international documentaries co-production, executive-producing more than 200 programs from proposal to delivery to Explore International, including a ten-film output deal with ORF’s UNIVERSUM. I look forward to the opportunity to further UNIVERSUM’s exceptional reputation within Austria and internationally as a commissioner, producer and co-producer of the highest quality nature and science documentaries. With my new team we will continue to broaden our appeal abroad and surprise and entertain our audience in Austria.”