Nik Powell
Nik Powell was a British music and film entrepreneur and producer. A co-founder of Virgin RecordsVirgin RecordsVirgin Records is a record label originating in the UK from Richard Branson and Nik Powell’s early Virgin music business. Launched as a label in 1973, it became associated with artists including Mike Oldfield and the Sex Pistols and later entered EMI and Universal Music ownership.Open the full entry, he later developed Palace Pictures with Stephen Woolley and led the National Film and Television School from 2003 to 2017. He died in 2019.
Contents6 sections
Key facts
1970sCo-founding Virgin
Nik Powell and Richard BransonRichard BransonRichard Branson is a British entrepreneur and founder of Virgin Group. Beginning with a youth magazine and mail-order records, he expanded into aviation, leisure, telecommunications, finance and commercial spaceflight. He also founded Virgin Unite and is known for ballooning expeditions and his 2021 suborbital flight.Open the full entry established Virgin’s early record business, developing mail order and retail into Virgin Records. His music entrepreneurship preceded his later work in British cinema.[1]
1980s–1990sPalace Pictures and film production
Nik Powell and Stephen Woolley developed Palace Pictures, distributing independent cinema and producing films including The Company of Wolves, Mona Lisa and The Crying Game. The business also suffered major commercial failures. Powell’s work spanned distribution, financing and production.[2]
1996–2017Film institutions and education
He chaired the European Film Academy from 1996 to 2003 and then became director of the National Film and Television School. He expanded facilities, student numbers and courses in areas including business, curation, television and games, stepping down in 2017, the year he received an OBE.[2]
2018–2019Recognition and death
In 2018, Nik Powell and successor Jon Wardle accepted the BAFTA for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema on behalf of the school. Powell died in Oxford on November 7, 2019 while receiving cancer treatment.[3]
Related Organizations, Websites, and Public Accounts
Nik Powell: Official link: https://nfts.co.uk/article/nfts-announces-sad-passing-former-director-nik-powell (opens in a new window).[3]
Richard Branson: Official link: https://www.virgin.com/branson-family/richard-branson (opens in a new window).[1][4]
Virgin Records: Official link: https://www.virginrecords.com/ (opens in a new window).[1][5]