Catherine Ugwu facts for kids

Catherine Oliaku Ugwu MBE (born 1964) is a British expert in creating huge, exciting events. She works as an executive producer, artistic director, and consultant. This means she helps plan and put on massive shows like the Olympics, Paralympics, and other big international sports events. She also worked on the Millennium Dome opening.

Catherine started her career in live arts. She helped artists perform unique and experimental shows. Later, she became famous for producing some of the world's biggest ceremonies. She received an award, becoming a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). This was for her amazing work on the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

What Does Catherine Ugwu Do?

Catherine Ugwu is a top producer and director for major global events. She makes sure everything runs smoothly for huge ceremonies. This includes opening and closing ceremonies for major sports events. Her job involves bringing together many different creative people and technical teams.

Early Career in Live Arts

Catherine Ugwu began her work in 1986. She focused on "live art," which is a type of performance art. It's different from traditional theatre or visual art. She worked with various arts groups and companies.

From 1991, she worked at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA). There, she helped choose and present live art performances. She worked with Lois Keidan to create a platform for this unique art form. Their work helped live art grow in London during the 1990s. Catherine described live art as a way to explore identity. It helped artists show different parts of themselves and their cultures.

Catherine also put together a book called Let's Get It On: The Politics of Black Performance. This book looked at black live art in Britain. It was important because it was one of the first books to deeply study this topic. It helped share the history of black live art.

In 1997, Catherine and Lois Keidan started their own company. Then, in 1999, they co-founded the Live Art Development Agency (LADA). This agency became very important for live art in the UK. They also worked as curators for international festivals.

Catherine worked with many famous artists. These included Marina Abramović and Stelarc. She also advised arts councils and chaired boards for arts organizations.

Producing Major Global Events

Catherine Ugwu moved into producing large-scale events in 1999. She produced the Millennium Dome Opening Ceremony. This was a huge event held on New Year's Eve 1999.

After that, she became an independent producer. She worked on the Closing Ceremony for the Manchester Commonwealth Games in 2002. She was also a Senior Producer for the Opening Ceremony of the 2006 Doha Asian Games. She helped plan the ceremonies for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

The London 2012 cauldron, codenamed "Betty" after Ugwu's dog

London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Ceremonies

In 2010, Catherine Ugwu became the Executive Producer for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Ceremonies. She worked with famous directors like Danny Boyle. The Olympic Opening Ceremony was a huge success. Many people praised it as a masterpiece. It was seen as brilliant and uniquely British.

For her amazing work on London 2012, Catherine received the MBE award. A fun fact about the London 2012 Olympics is the cauldron. This is where the Olympic flame burns. It was secretly named "Betty" after Catherine's dog! A picture of Catherine and Betty is even in the National Portrait Gallery, London.

Betty Productions and Beyond

In 2013, Catherine started her own company, Betty Productions. She continued to produce big events. She worked on a campaign for Save the Children in 2013. She also produced a live film event for the music group Goldfrapp. This event was shown in cinemas around the world.

Europa and the Bull, a scene from the Baku 2015 Opening Ceremony

Catherine was the Director of Ceremonies for the Baku 2015 European Games. She even received an award from the President of Azerbaijan for her work. The opening ceremony for Baku 2015 was a massive stadium show. It even featured a performance by Lady Gaga.

She also served as Director of Ceremonies and Executive Producer for the Baku 2017 Islamic Solidarity Games. Catherine has also advised on bids for the World Expo and the Dubai World Expo.

In 2019, she was the Artistic Director and Executive Producer for the 48th UAE National Day Celebration. This was another large show held in Abu Dhabi. In 2020, she joined a commission for the Global Esports Federation. This shows her continued involvement in major global events and new areas like esports.

Images for kids

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  The London 2012 cauldron, codenamed "Betty" after Ugwu's dog

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  Europa and the Bull, a scene from the Baku 2015 Opening Ceremony