The European Broadcasting Union announced today that Jon Ola Sand will become the new Executive Supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest. He succeeds Svante Stockselius, held the post for eight years. Some 40 people from more than 10 countries applied for position. Founder of esctoday.com, Sietse Bakker has been appointed Event Supervisor for the Eurovision Song Contest.
Jon Ola Sand won plaudits for his work earlier this year as Executive Producer of the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest in Oslo. He has more than 15 years' experience in major productions and coproductions at Norwegian public broadcaster NRK and TV2 Norway as well as independent production companies. He is also a member of the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, which hands out the EMMY Awards every year. He has produced or directed a variety of programmes, such as the Nobel Peace Prize Concert, the Norwegian Film Awards and the Norwegian national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest, Melodi Grand Prix.
Mr Sand has been Head of Delegation at the contest for Norway from 1998 to 2005. Since then, he has been commissioning editor at NRK.Jørgen Franck, interim director of the EBU said "I am confident that Jon Ola Sand will be a worthy successor of Svante Stockselius and that he will be just the capacity we need to continuously develop and enforce the values of the World's biggest entertainment TV-show,"
Sand said: "I am really looking forward to working with the experienced and dedicated staff at the EBU. I see a lot of opportunities on top of the already existing expertise of the current team…Not only was this the most challenging year in my career, but also the most rewarding. I am excited about the prospect of taking on this unique opportunity. My previous experience at the contest will allow me to ‘hit the ground running' when I take over in January,"
