Michael Carrington (television executive)

Michael A. Carrington
(Carrington gives CN 20th anniversary Speech)
Born	Michael Andrew Chuprin Plicha (1961-05-05) 5 May 1961 (age 55) Camden, New South Wales, Australia
Occupation	Broadcast Media Executive
Years active	1986–present

Michael Carrington (born, Michael Andrew Chuprin Plicha, 5 May 1961) is a Broadcast media executive who is currently Head of Children's and Education at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation based in Sydney, Australia. Carrington oversees all content development and production management for the children's and education portfolios.

Of Russian and English descent, Carrington was born in 1961 in Camden, New South Wales, Australia to Hubert John Plicha and Elaine Marshall. The family lived in Campbelltown, New South Wales until 1974 when they moved to Parkes, New South Wales, where Carrington attended Parkes High School graduating in 1979.

Carrington's father was born Vitalik Aleksandrovich Chuprin (Russian: Виталий Александрович Чуприн) in Rostov-on-Don, Russia and is a direct descendant of Jacob Weins, a co-founder of the Mennonites. Carrington's paternal grandmother, Margarita Chuprin (née Weins) had remarried after World War II and his father's name was changed by adoption. They emigrated to Australia, sailing on the Fairsea departing Naples, Italy December 3, 1949. arriving in Sydney on New Year's Eve.

After working as a DJ on Radio Station 2PK in Australia, he joined the Royal Australian Navy as a communications sailor. Following a four-year commission he joined the children’s department at Network Ten in Sydney, where he worked on the magazine show Ridgey Didge and the game shows Double Dare and Family Double Dare. On immigrating to the United Kingdom in 1990, he joined the Bought Films Unit at BBC television. A year later he joined the Discovery Channel Europe as an Acquisitions Executive. He was appointed Deputy Head of Programme Acquisitions in 1993 for BBC Children’s Television, latterly seconded to research and develop broadcast strategy for CBBC and CBeebies with the Deputy Director of Television, David Docherty. In May 2000 he joined LEGO TV & Film as Head of Television and New Media, responsible for programme development and production, where he was co-executive producer on Little Robots. In 2004 he joined the BBC as Head of Animation & Acquisitions, where he gained broadcast rights over Lunar Jim, The Koala Brothers and LazyTown. He commissioned a variety of UK made animation series including Charlie and Lola,Shaun the Sheep,The Snow Queen, Timmy Time, and The Secret Show.