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Mercury Media founder passes away

Tim Sparke, the founder of UK factual distributor Mercury Media, has passed away after a long battle against cancer.

Tim Sparke

Tim Sparke

Sparke, 53, leaves behind wife Vidya, daughter Abigail and son Oliver as well as a strong legacy and a great many friends in the factual television business.

A regular face and much loved character on the factual television circuit, Tim was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2011 which subsequently spread to his brain. He spent the past five years undergoing treatment and surgery as he bravely battled against the disease.

Sparke closed Mercury in 2014 and returned the rights to its catalogue to producers.

He founded the company in 2000 after amassing 15 years of experience working for Disney, Thames, the BBC and AP. He contributed at a strategic level to Ofcom, the BBC Trust and the European Documentary Network. He also founded joiningthedocs.tv in 2008 in order to increase the availability of documentary films.

A keen Chelsea Football Club fan, he showed particular interest in sports documentaries and Mercury Media’s catalogue included feature-length football doc The Four Year Plan from Ad Hoc Films.

Close friend and factual consultant Peter Hamilton said: “Tim has always been a fighter for the documentary genre. His Mercury Media distribution company worked tirelessly for individual docs and series, despite vanishing slots and rolling budget cutbacks.

“He has been a wonderful companion on my journeys in the field: fiercely analytical of trends in the market, encouraging, generous with his contacts, and always up for finding the humour in any situation.”

The funeral will take place at Holy Trinity Church in Dorchester, Dorset, on September 9 with donations in his memory being taken by the Weldmar Hospicecare Trust.

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