Summary: Leon Hawthorne was a World News anchor for CNN and a Political Correspondent for the BBC before becoming Founder and CEO of the Baby Channel, the world's first parenting channel which launched on Sky, Virgin Media and online. This marked his switch into TV management and new media. He became CEO of Simply Media's channels and production arm, where he created a dozen web TV channels each focussing on specific genres: Beauty Zone, Health Zone, Food Zone etc. Leon sold his businesses in 2008 and focussed on consulting on video content strategy, working for Hearst UK, The Independent and the London Evening Standard. Leon also owns two small arts websites covering theatre and books. Personal: Age: 46 Date of birth: January 11th 1966. Place of birth: Bristol, England. Nationality: British. Education: University of Liverpool. B.A. Combined Honours, Politics & Sociology.

Employment: 2008 - date: Videobite / Consultancy. Leon uses his personal brand, Videobite, to develop ideas and incubate new businesses. He personally owns two web TV channels covering arts and culture, Theatreland TV and Book Zone TV. In 2010, Leon consulted on video content strategy for Hearst UK, a.k.a. The National Magazine Company. Reporting to the UK board, Leon drew up plans for the publisher to better exploit new media platforms and extend its brands into TV. Since 2011, Leon has been working for The London Evening Standard and The Independent (same owner) developing video content for its digital platforms, including personally producing coverage of the Evening Standard's Theatre Awards in November 2011.

2006 - 2008: Chief Executive, Simply Media (Productions). Whilst still running the Baby Channel, Leon became CEO of a new division of its largest shareholder, Simply Media, running its channels and productions, spearheading its move into web TV services. Leon created a number of new web TV channels, each targeting particular special interest markets. Astrozone featured video horoscopes. Avenue 11 was a music and showbiz channel. Beauty Zone covered beauty, make-up and fashion for women. Food Zone featured food and drink. Health Zone was for health, fitness and medical issues. Simply Entertainment featured movie news and reviews. Additionally, Leon produced content for Gardening TV and Salon TV, both of which were owned by other Simply Media subsidiaries. Leon launched Simply TV as an entertainment channel on the Sky satellite platform. This was used principally to showcase the content of the new web TV channels and to drive traffic to a new Simply TV web portal. Apart from running the in-house channels, Leon developed the business as a contract publisher of web TV channels. He won contracts to produce the video content and manage web TV for retailers Boots (health, beauty and baby content) and Borders (interviews with authors). Also, he syndicated Simply Media content to iVillage, so that virtually all of the video content on www.ivillage.co.uk/video today are the channels he created. Leon sold his stake in Simply Media and the Baby Channel in July 2008 and stood down as CEO.

2002 - 2008: Chief Executive, The Baby Channel. Leon came up with the concept for a TV channel targeting pregnant women and parents of pre-school children, with programmes on pregnancy, child health and early learning. In June 2004, the Baby Channel launched as a video-on-demand TV channel on HomeChoice (now Tiscali), and as a video streaming website at www.babychanneltv.com. In September 2005, it launched on the cable TV platform owned by Telewest (now Virgin Media). That summer, Leon raised investment from RDF Media, the producer of Wife Swap and Faking It, and Simply Media, which owned numerous shopping channels. The funds paid for the Baby Channel to launch on the Sky satellite platform on October 10th 2005. In January 2006, the Baby Channel Shop was launched, selling thousands of nursery products via teleshopping and online. Next came the publication of a range of parenting-related DVDs in association with St John Ambulance, the National Childbirth Trust and others. In August 2006, the Baby Channel entered a deal with Yahoo to launch in the USA, online. The largest shareholder, Simply Media, then bought out the other shareholders to consolidate the Baby Channel into its general business. Leon became CEO of a new channels and productions division of Simply Media.

2000 - 2002: World News Anchor, CNBC Europe. Leon produced and anchored international news output for the pan-European business network. He also anchored CNBC's special coverage from the World Economic Forum in Davos, 2000. After spending some time away developing the Baby Channel business plan, Leon returned to CNBC in 2001, where he fronted the rolling coverage of events surrounding September 11th 2001 and the ensuing war in Afghanistan. This was Leon's last job on camera and in TV news, which was marked - coincidentally - by being asked to be a judge in the BAFTA TV Awards, deciding the best news coverage of 9/11, awarded to Sky News.

1999 - 2000: Political Correspondent, BBC News. Leon joined BBC News as a member of the Parliamentary Lobby, attending daily press briefings at 10 Downing Street held by Prime Minister Tony Blair's Press Secretary, Alastair Campbell. He made short documentary films for BBC1's political analysis show, On The Record, and similar audio pieces for Radio 4's The Westminster Hour. He presented a BBC2 parliamentary discussion show, Despatch Box; and reported occasionally for the Today Programme. Leon also anchored BBC News 24 and BBC World.

1996 - 1999: World News Anchor, CNN International. USA. Leon anchored over 1,400 live newscasts for CNN, including on the morning after the death of Diana Princess of Wales. Other breaking news coverage included the death of Pol Pot, the commando raid on the Japanese embassy in Lima, Peru and the murder of Gianni Versace. Leon's main shows were weekdays at 7pm, 8pm and 10pm EST. He anchored a two-hour special on the US mid-term elections in 1998. He wrote and fronted a weekly round-up of international news, Seven Days and interviewed then Italian Prime Minister, Romano Prodi. He occasionally anchored Q&A and Insight.

1994 - 1996: News Anchor, Channel One, London. In order to make the switch from reporter to full-time news anchor, Leon joined at the launch of London cable station, Channel One, owned by Associated Newspapers. His role included live coverage of the 50th anniversary of V.E. Day, interviewing Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness on the fledgling Northern Ireland peace process and hosting debates on the Major v Redwood Conservative Party leadership contest.

1992 - 1994: News Reporter, London Tonight, ITV London. Leon was one of the original team of news reporters that launched Carlton Television in London, January 1993. He reported a wide range of topics including IRA terror attacks, crime, politics, social affairs and entertainment stories. In particular, this role helped Leon develop his skills as a creative writer, a director of packages and a reporter doing live two-ways. At its launch, London Tonight was a radical, stylish and brash arrival on the UK TV news scene, anchored principally by Alistair Stewart, Fiona Foster and later Mary Nightingale. Leon occasionally anchored the main show.

1991 - 1992: News Reporter, HTV West, Bristol. In order to work full-time on-screen, Leon joined the west of England regional ITV broadcaster, HTV West, as a reporter. He produced 10-minute short documentaries for the local current affairs show, The West This Week. He made a dozen films including ones on Young Offenders, AIDS, Domestic Violence and Legal Aid. Leon then created a format for a local business and personal finance show called Money Week, which was commissioned for the 7.30pm Tuesday night slot. Leon anchored the show with co-host, Brenda Rowe. He also occasionally anchored HTV News at six o'clock.

1990 - 1991: Asst Producer, BBC Business Breakfast, London. Leon joined network BBC as an Assistant Producer on its early morning business programme. His role was to write links, edit packages, brief the anchors for studio interviews and produce reporters on location. Later on, he began reporting his own stories, mostly off-diary features. When Gulf War I began, a lot of his work focussed on the economic impact of the conflict.

1989 - 1990: Researcher, The City Programme, Thames Television, London. Leon's TV career began as a researcher on a prime-time financial magazine show. His role was to come up with story ideas, brief the reporters and set up shoots for weekly 5-minute packages.