Norma Percy
Encyclopedia
Norma Percy is an American-born award winning documentary film
maker and producer. The documentaries produced in collaboration with Brian Lapping have covered many of the crises of the 20th Century and were described by the Wall Street Journal as "the Rolls-Royce of documentary-making".
, She studied politics at Oberlin College
in Ohio, later studying for a Masters degree at the London School of Economics
. She then became a researcher at the House of Commons where she spent six years; in her time there, she worked as a researcher for the MP John Mackintosh
, who recommended her to the Granada Television
producer Brian Lapping when he was looking for a researcher for a documentary on the workings of Parliament called The State of the Nation.
in various former colonies, and worked with Lapping on the 1987 drama-documentary
Breakthrough at Reykjavik, a reconstruction of the Reykjavík Summit
between Ronald Reagan
and Mikhail Gorbachev
in 1986.
After fifteen years at Granada, Percy joined the newly-formed production company Brian Lapping Associates in 1988. (When that company later merged with Brook Associates in 1997, she was a founding director of the new company Brook Lapping
.)
The Percy-produced documentary series Watergate aired on the BBC
and the Discovery Channel
in 1994. Narrated by Daniel Schorr
and directed by Mick Gold
. this five-part series chronicled the Watergate scandal
and featured exclusive interviews with many of the key participants in the events, including H. R. Haldeman
, John Ehrlichman
, John Dean
and G. Gordon Liddy
as well as former President Gerald Ford
. The series won an Emmy Award.
The Death of Yugoslavia
, with Lapping as co-producer, followed in 1995, which covered the events that led to the collapse of the former Yugoslavia and the aftermath. The series again contained interviews with many of the major participants, including Slobodan Milošević
and Radovan Karadžić
. The series won a BAFTA as Best Factual Series at the 1995 awards. The Balkans were revisited in the 2001 series The Fall of Milosevic which dealt with the fall from power of the Serbian leader.
awards.
She was made a Fellow of the Royal Television Society
in 1999 and was awarded the Judges Prize by that society at the 2010 RTS Awards. In 2009 at the Grierson Awards
, she, along with colleagues from the Brook Lapping
production company, won the Best Documentary Series award for Iran and the West; Percy also given the Trustee's Prize by the Grierson Trust for her contributions to documentary film over the previous 30 years. The Special Prize for Lifetime Achievement was given to her at the Orwell Prize
ceremony in 2010.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
maker and producer. The documentaries produced in collaboration with Brian Lapping have covered many of the crises of the 20th Century and were described by the Wall Street Journal as "the Rolls-Royce of documentary-making".
Early life
Percy was born and brought up in in New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, She studied politics at Oberlin College
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
in Ohio, later studying for a Masters degree at the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
. She then became a researcher at the House of Commons where she spent six years; in her time there, she worked as a researcher for the MP John Mackintosh
John Mackintosh
John Pitcairn Mackintosh was a British Labour Party politician known for his defence of devolution and the concept of dual nationality; that Scots could be both Scottish and British....
, who recommended her to the Granada Television
Granada Television
Granada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....
producer Brian Lapping when he was looking for a researcher for a documentary on the workings of Parliament called The State of the Nation.
Career
Percy produced the 1985 Granada series End of Empire, which explored the effects of the end of the British EmpireBritish Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
in various former colonies, and worked with Lapping on the 1987 drama-documentary
Docudrama
In film, television programming and staged theatre, docudrama is a documentary-style genre that features dramatized re-enactments of actual historical events. As a neologism, the term is often confused with docufiction....
Breakthrough at Reykjavik, a reconstruction of the Reykjavík Summit
Reykjavik Summit
The Reykjavík Summit was a summit meeting between U.S. president Ronald Reagan and Secretary-General of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev, held in the famous house of Höfði in Reykjavík, the capital city of Iceland, on October 11–12, 1986...
between Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
and Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...
in 1986.
After fifteen years at Granada, Percy joined the newly-formed production company Brian Lapping Associates in 1988. (When that company later merged with Brook Associates in 1997, she was a founding director of the new company Brook Lapping
Brook Lapping
Brook Lapping Productions is a British TV and radio production company. Based in London, Brook Lapping is a subsidiary of Ten Alps.The company is the result of a 1997 merger of Brook Associates , and Brian Lapping Associates....
.)
The Percy-produced documentary series Watergate aired on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
and the Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
in 1994. Narrated by Daniel Schorr
Daniel Schorr
Daniel Louis Schorr was an American journalist who covered world news for more than 60 years. He was most recently a Senior News Analyst for National Public Radio...
and directed by Mick Gold
Mick Gold
Mick Gold is a British documentary film maker, photographer and journalist.-Education:Gold studied English literature at Sussex University, followed by a degree in film and TV production at the Royal College of Art.-Work:From 1972 to 1978, Gold photographed and wrote about rock music for a variety...
. this five-part series chronicled the Watergate scandal
Watergate scandal
The Watergate scandal was a political scandal during the 1970s in the United States resulting from the break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C., and the Nixon administration's attempted cover-up of its involvement...
and featured exclusive interviews with many of the key participants in the events, including H. R. Haldeman
H. R. Haldeman
Harry Robbins "Bob" Haldeman was an American political aide and businessman, best known for his service as White House Chief of Staff to President Richard Nixon and for his role in events leading to the Watergate burglaries and the Watergate scandal – for which he was found guilty of conspiracy...
, John Ehrlichman
John Ehrlichman
John Daniel Ehrlichman was counsel and Assistant to the President for Domestic Affairs under President Richard Nixon. He was a key figure in events leading to the Watergate first break-in and the ensuing Watergate scandal, for which he was convicted of conspiracy, obstruction of justice and perjury...
, John Dean
John Dean
John Wesley Dean III is an American lawyer who served as White House Counsel to United States President Richard Nixon from July 1970 until April 1973. In this position, he became deeply involved in events leading up to the Watergate burglaries and the subsequent Watergate scandal cover-up...
and G. Gordon Liddy
G. Gordon Liddy
George Gordon Liddy was the chief operative for the White House Plumbers unit that existed from July–September 1971, during Richard Nixon's presidency. Separately, along with E. Howard Hunt, Liddy organized and directed the Watergate burglaries of the Democratic National Committee headquarters in...
as well as former President Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
. The series won an Emmy Award.
The Death of Yugoslavia
The Death of Yugoslavia
The Death of Yugoslavia is a BBC documentary series first broadcast in 1995, and is also the name of a book written by Allan Little and Laura Silber that accompanies the series. It covers the collapse of the former Yugoslavia...
, with Lapping as co-producer, followed in 1995, which covered the events that led to the collapse of the former Yugoslavia and the aftermath. The series again contained interviews with many of the major participants, including Slobodan Milošević
Slobodan Milošević
Slobodan Milošević was President of Serbia and Yugoslavia. He served as the President of Socialist Republic of Serbia and Republic of Serbia from 1989 until 1997 in three terms and as President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1997 to 2000...
and Radovan Karadžić
Radovan Karadžic
Radovan Karadžić is a former Bosnian Serb politician. He is detained in the United Nations Detention Unit of Scheveningen, accused of war crimes committed against Bosnian Muslims and Bosnian Croats during the Siege of Sarajevo, as well as ordering the Srebrenica massacre.Educated as a...
. The series won a BAFTA as Best Factual Series at the 1995 awards. The Balkans were revisited in the 2001 series The Fall of Milosevic which dealt with the fall from power of the Serbian leader.
Awards and recognition
Percy, along with Brian Lapping, was awarded the Alan Clarke Award (for outstanding contribution to Television) at the 2002 BAFTABritish Academy of Film and Television Arts
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is a charity in the United Kingdom that hosts annual awards shows for excellence in film, television, television craft, video games and forms of animation.-Introduction:...
awards.
She was made a Fellow of the Royal Television Society
Royal Television Society
The Royal Television Society is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present and future. It is the oldest television society in the world...
in 1999 and was awarded the Judges Prize by that society at the 2010 RTS Awards. In 2009 at the Grierson Awards
Grierson Awards
The Grierson Awards celebrate innovative and exciting new documentary films. The awards have been set up by The Grierson Trust to commemorate the life and work of world renowned Documentary Filmmaker John Grierson. The awards were first set-up in 1972 and have run annually...
, she, along with colleagues from the Brook Lapping
Brook Lapping
Brook Lapping Productions is a British TV and radio production company. Based in London, Brook Lapping is a subsidiary of Ten Alps.The company is the result of a 1997 merger of Brook Associates , and Brian Lapping Associates....
production company, won the Best Documentary Series award for Iran and the West; Percy also given the Trustee's Prize by the Grierson Trust for her contributions to documentary film over the previous 30 years. The Special Prize for Lifetime Achievement was given to her at the Orwell Prize
Orwell Prize
The Orwell Prize used to be regarded as the pre-eminent British prize for political writing.Three prizes are awarded each year: one for a book, one for journalism and another for blogging...
ceremony in 2010.
Filmography
- Iran and the WestIran and the WestIran and the West is the name of a three part British documentary series shown in February 2009 on BBC Two to mark the 30th anniversary of the 1979 Iranian Revolution. The first episode was shown at 9:00pm on Saturday 7 February with parts two and three shown on consecutive Saturdays...
(2009) - Israel and the Arabs: Elusive Peace (2005)
- Endgame in Ireland (2001)
- The Fall of Milosevic (2001)
- The American Experience - Nixon's China Game episode producer (2001)
- The Death of YugoslaviaThe Death of YugoslaviaThe Death of Yugoslavia is a BBC documentary series first broadcast in 1995, and is also the name of a book written by Allan Little and Laura Silber that accompanies the series. It covers the collapse of the former Yugoslavia...
(1995) - Watergate (1994)
- TimewatchTimewatchTimewatch is a long-running British television series showing documentaries on historical subjects, spanning all human history. It was first broadcast on 29th September 1982 and is produced by the BBC, the Timewatch brandname is used as a banner title in the UK, but many of the individual...
- Countdown to War (1989)
- End of Empire (1985)