Interview: Peter Salmon, Endemol Shine

“I’m like the maître d’’, says Peter Salmon, when asked to describe his job at global production powerhouse Endemol Shine.

Salmon’s official title is, of course, Chief Creative Officer, overseeing a network of 120 production companies in over 30 markets with a portfolio of some 600 titles across scripted and non-scripted genres.

But he uses the maître d’ analogy, adding that he is also a bit of a spymaster-in-chief. “I am a bit ubiquitous. A lot of people know me here, upstairs and downstairs. And I know quite a lot of the broadcasters and customers we work for.”

This knowledge has been built up over a long career working at a senior level in broadcasting. A former Controller of BBC1, his CV also includes spells as Director of BBC England, BBC Studios and BBC Sport, CEO of indie group The Television Corporation, and Controller of Factual Programmes at Channel 4.

Based in London, Salmon doesn’t tend to get involved in…