Lawrie Read, Managing Director, Hireworks

Lawrie Read began his career in the industry at Pinewood Studios in the Sound department and, after serving 9 years on staff, he left to freelance in Film & TV for the next two years. 

Lawrie then joined the staff of ITN where he worked on the Outside Broadcast unit and in the Studios, progressing through Floor Management to become Head of Studios before leaving in 1991.  Lawrie subsequently moved to the BBC at Ealing Studios where he was their Equipment Services and Commercial Manager until 1994. 

He was the Senior Broadcast Executive at the facility house Metro in Soho between '94 -'96 before moving on to Hyperactive Broadcast, the hire company, as Business Development Director before becoming their CEO at the beginning of 2006. 

In June 2007, Lawrie left Hyperactive with two management colleagues to buy out Clear Cut Hires and establish a new company called Hireworks at Pinewood.  Led by Lawrie, Hireworks successfully pitched for and won the editing equipment hire on Harry Potter & the Half Blood Prince among other TV & movie credits that they have completed over the last twelve months.

In April of this year Hireworks bought the Assets and Trade of London Editing Machines Ltd (LEM) and has trebled its turnover in their first year of trading. 

Between 2003 - 2007 Lawrie was a Governor of the American Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers (SMPTE) and recently completed his final two year stint on the Council of the BKSTS, having served as their President for four years, and he would now like to turn his attention to supporting UK Screen by offering himself as a nominee for the Board.  Lawrie is passionate about the industry we work in and hopes that he can bring some of the knowledge and experience he has gained over the years to the important work of the Association.