Chris Haws, Senior Science Advisor, The Science Channel (USA)
Chris is the Senior Science Advisor to the Discovery Communications’ highly successful Science Channel and is tasked with consulting to a range of major science programming initiatives, from energy, to the human genome, to artificial intelligence, to cosmology and to the recently announced ‘Curiosity Project’.
After gaining an M.A. Honours degree in Psychology at Aberdeen University, Scotland, Chris began his broadcasting career at the BBC, where he wrote, produced and directed a wide range of prime time factual and documentary television programming, specializing in award winning science programming, such as Tomorrow’s World, Horizon, Medical Express and The Risk Business. At the beginning of the ‘80’s, Chris left the BBC to become involved in the launch of the UK’s Channel 4. He went on to produce and direct a range of award winning documentary programming for the new channel on subjects ranging from Nuclear Power to Chaos Theory to Brain Science and String Theory. In 1985, he founded InCA, a highly successful international independent production company, producing over 400 hours of documentary programming for major broadcasters around the world. Chris was also an early council member of the UK Producers’ Association and the founding chairman of DOCUMENTARY - one of the European Commission’s most acclaimed MEDIA projects - with offices in Amsterdam and Copenhagen.
Joining Discovery Communications in 1995, as Vice President of Commissions, Co-Production and Production, Chris was Discovery Europe’s first commissioning editor, responsible for approximately 250 hours of original programming a year. In 1998 Chris was promoted to the post of Senior Vice President and Executive Producer, Discovery Networks International (DNI), based at Discovery’s headquarters in Washington, DC. During this period, he created the Oscar winning First Time Film Makers documentary seasons, which rapidly became signature programming events for Discovery worldwide.
Meanwhile, Chris continued to be closely associated with training initiatives within the international broadcast community, teaching factual programming production for the National Film and Television School, England; the European Film College in Ebeltoft, Denmark; the Sorbonne, Paris; SPAA, Australia; the Research Centre, Glasgow; and the University of Ludwigsburg, Germany. He also serves as a Faculty Member at the Banff Centre for Executive Leadership Training in Alberta, Canada and is the founding Project Director for the CPB’s acclaimed News and Public Affairs training scheme – the ‘News Academy’.
In 2001, Chris joined the World Bank Group’s Creative Industries Initiative, assessing opportunities for investment in the audio-visual and creative industries in emerging markets around the world. Throughout 2002, he also represented the World Bank Group at a number of international conferences on topics ranging from the role of the media in emerging democracies to developing educational opportunities through the audiovisual and creative industries. In 2003, Chris set up his own media consultancy, serving the needs of a wide range of media, multilateral and governmental organizations in the US, the UK, the EU, Russia, Germany, France, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Canada and Australia. In 2004 he was invited to become an Adjunct Professor at the American University School of Communications in Washington DC. And in 2005, Chris was appointed to the Advisory Board of the Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership.
In ’06, 07 and ‘08, Chris continued to consult strategically to governments and multilateral agencies, while also serving as executive producer, producer, director, writer, or advisor on a wide range of national and international broadcast projects, specializing in science, natural history and current affairs.
Chris and his family live in Georgetown, Washington, D.C.
