Bob Parr (producer)
Encyclopedia
Robert Michael "Bob" Parr (born 25 June 1957) is an Emmy Award
-winning English
-born New Zealander, television
personality, private security contractor, counter-terrorism
expert and former UK Special Forces operator best known for his role as Team Leader and Executive Producer
of "Shadow Force
" on the History Channel. Bob has also won six Emmy Award
s for his work with The Amazing Race
, and was twice honored at a national level for gallantry and outstanding service with Special Force
s.
as a Royal Marine. Having completed more than six years Commando
service, he volunteered for UK Special Forces where he spent a further 18 years before retiring in late 1999. During his Special Forces career he served primarily with the Special Air Service
(SAS) Regiment, but was also seconded to a number of Intelligence
units and agencies where he served with distinction. He was twice honoured at a national level, receiving a Mention in Despatches (MID) for gallantry on operations and being appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire
(MBE) by Her Majesty the Queen for outstanding service with Special Forces
.
On retirement from UK Special Forces, Bob embarked on a second career in the commercial security industry. Heading up a bold fisheries protection operation working from northern Somalia
- an initiative that dealt effectively with piracy around the Horn of Africa
for more than a year - he quickly became the Operations Manager of Hart Security Limited overseeing dynamic security contracts around the world. On leaving Hart, his career took an unexpected turn when he was contracted to CBS
' The Amazing Race
as a security consultant. This in turn led to a long engagement by CBS
as a Senior Producer
, netting him six Primetime Emmy Awards. He appeared as host for The History Channel
's hit show Shadow Force
,, for which he was also an Executive Producer
and co-owner.
Co-founder, Director and co-owner of leading Risk Management company SO3 Projects, Bob has overseen security for numerous screen productions around the world and has provided consultancy services to a wide variety of additional clients including a period as Global Security Manager at Pride International (now Ensco plc). one of the world's largest offshore oil drilling corporations. He is also the owner of SO3 Media, a New Zealand
based production company. He became a New Zealand
citizen in 2008, and now holds joint citizenship with the UK. Bob holds a Master's Degree
in Security and Risk Management, awarded by the University of Leicester
with Distinction. An accomplished singlehanded Ocean Yachtmaster
and author, he works as a television Producer and Risk Management consultant from his self-built sailing yacht and splits his remaining time between ocean cruising, writing, and his permanent home in New Zealand's magnificent South Island
. Bob has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society
and a Member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. He is also a subscribing member of the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House
) and the Royal United Services Institute
(RUSI).
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
-winning English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
-born New Zealander, television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
personality, private security contractor, counter-terrorism
Counter-terrorism
Counter-terrorism is the practices, tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, militaries, police departments and corporations adopt to prevent or in response to terrorist threats and/or acts, both real and imputed.The tactic of terrorism is available to insurgents and governments...
expert and former UK Special Forces operator best known for his role as Team Leader and Executive Producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
of "Shadow Force
Shadow Force
For other uses of Shadow Force see: Shadow Force Shadow Force is a History Channel television show which premiered Friday, November 7, 2008 and is about a team of real-life mercenaries doing contracts given to them by the countries of Liberia, Kenya, and the Congo...
" on the History Channel. Bob has also won six Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
s for his work with The Amazing Race
The Amazing Race
The Amazing Race is a reality television game show in which teams of two people, who have some form of a preexisting personal relationship, race around the world in competition with other teams...
, and was twice honored at a national level for gallantry and outstanding service with Special Force
Special Force
Special Force is a first-person shooter military video game, published by Hezbollah, created using the Genesis 3D engine. The game is set in a 3D environment, in which the player takes the role of a Hezbollah combatant fighting the IDF...
s.
Biography
Born in London, England, Bob started his career in the British Armed ForcesBritish Armed Forces
The British Armed Forces are the armed forces of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.Also known as Her Majesty's Armed Forces and sometimes legally the Armed Forces of the Crown, the British Armed Forces encompasses three professional uniformed services, the Royal Navy, the...
as a Royal Marine. Having completed more than six years Commando
Commando
In English, the term commando means a specific kind of individual soldier or military unit. In contemporary usage, commando usually means elite light infantry and/or special operations forces units, specializing in amphibious landings, parachuting, rappelling and similar techniques, to conduct and...
service, he volunteered for UK Special Forces where he spent a further 18 years before retiring in late 1999. During his Special Forces career he served primarily with the Special Air Service
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
(SAS) Regiment, but was also seconded to a number of Intelligence
Intelligence
Intelligence has been defined in different ways, including the abilities for abstract thought, understanding, communication, reasoning, learning, planning, emotional intelligence and problem solving....
units and agencies where he served with distinction. He was twice honoured at a national level, receiving a Mention in Despatches (MID) for gallantry on operations and being appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(MBE) by Her Majesty the Queen for outstanding service with Special Forces
Special forces
Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...
.
On retirement from UK Special Forces, Bob embarked on a second career in the commercial security industry. Heading up a bold fisheries protection operation working from northern Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
- an initiative that dealt effectively with piracy around the Horn of Africa
Horn of Africa
The Horn of Africa is a peninsula in East Africa that juts hundreds of kilometers into the Arabian Sea and lies along the southern side of the Gulf of Aden. It is the easternmost projection of the African continent...
for more than a year - he quickly became the Operations Manager of Hart Security Limited overseeing dynamic security contracts around the world. On leaving Hart, his career took an unexpected turn when he was contracted to CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
' The Amazing Race
The Amazing Race
The Amazing Race is a reality television game show in which teams of two people, who have some form of a preexisting personal relationship, race around the world in competition with other teams...
as a security consultant. This in turn led to a long engagement by CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
as a Senior Producer
Senior producer
Senior producer is a title given usually to the second most senior person of a film of television production. Used mainly in the United Kingdom, a senior producer would be the most senior member of production personnel underneath an Executive producer...
, netting him six Primetime Emmy Awards. He appeared as host for The History Channel
The History Channel
History, formerly known as The History Channel, is an American-based international satellite and cable TV channel that broadcasts a variety of reality shows and documentary programs including those of fictional and non-fictional historical content, together with speculation about the future.-...
's hit show Shadow Force
Shadow Force
For other uses of Shadow Force see: Shadow Force Shadow Force is a History Channel television show which premiered Friday, November 7, 2008 and is about a team of real-life mercenaries doing contracts given to them by the countries of Liberia, Kenya, and the Congo...
,, for which he was also an Executive Producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
and co-owner.
Co-founder, Director and co-owner of leading Risk Management company SO3 Projects, Bob has overseen security for numerous screen productions around the world and has provided consultancy services to a wide variety of additional clients including a period as Global Security Manager at Pride International (now Ensco plc). one of the world's largest offshore oil drilling corporations. He is also the owner of SO3 Media, a New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
based production company. He became a New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
citizen in 2008, and now holds joint citizenship with the UK. Bob holds a Master's Degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in Security and Risk Management, awarded by the University of Leicester
University of Leicester
The University of Leicester is a research-led university based in Leicester, England. The main campus is a mile south of the city centre, adjacent to Victoria Park and Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College....
with Distinction. An accomplished singlehanded Ocean Yachtmaster
Yachtmaster
A Yachtmaster qualification is a certificate of competence of the ability to handle either a sailing boat or motor boat in certain prescribed conditions...
and author, he works as a television Producer and Risk Management consultant from his self-built sailing yacht and splits his remaining time between ocean cruising, writing, and his permanent home in New Zealand's magnificent South Island
South Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
. Bob has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
and a Member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. He is also a subscribing member of the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House
Chatham House
Chatham House, formally known as The Royal Institute of International Affairs, is a non-profit, non-governmental organization based in London whose mission is to analyse and promote the understanding of major international issues and current affairs. It is regarded as one of the world's leading...
) and the Royal United Services Institute
Royal United Services Institute
The Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies , officially still known by its old name, the Royal United Services Institution, is a British defence and security think tank. It was founded in 1831 by The Duke of Wellington.RUSI describes itself asIt won Prospect Magazine's...
(RUSI).
Shows
- "Q'Viva: The Chosen" (2011) Security Consultant
- "Around the World in 80 Ways" (2011) Risk Management Consultant
- "The Amazing RaceThe Amazing RaceThe Amazing Race is a reality television game show in which teams of two people, who have some form of a preexisting personal relationship, race around the world in competition with other teams...
" (2001–2011) Senior Producer - "Shadow ForceShadow ForceFor other uses of Shadow Force see: Shadow Force Shadow Force is a History Channel television show which premiered Friday, November 7, 2008 and is about a team of real-life mercenaries doing contracts given to them by the countries of Liberia, Kenya, and the Congo...
" (2008) Executive Producer, Team Leader - "Nomads" (2010) Security Consultant
- "Surviving the CutSurviving the CutSurviving the Cut is a military documentary/reality television series produced by 2 Roosters Media for the Discovery Channel. It portrays the rigorous training programs of various elite forces of the United States armed forces...
" (2010) Producer, Cameraman - "Bud House" (2010) Security Consultant
- "Extreme Trucking" (2010) Risk Management Consultant
- "Destination TruthDestination TruthDestination Truth is a weekly American paranormal reality television series that premiered on June 6, 2007 on Syfy. Produced by Mandt Bros. Productions and Ping Pong Productions, the program follows paranormal researcher Josh Gates around the world to investigate claims of the supernatural, mainly...
" (2009) Security Consultant - "Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations" (2010) Security Consultant
- "Extreme Tribes" (2004) Associate Producer
- "FreeDive" (2005) Associate Producer
- "Racing For Possum" (2005) Associate Producer
- "Monster Garage Baghdad" (2005) Risk Management Consultant
- "Kidnap & Rescue: The Roy Hallum's Story" (2006) Producer
- "MythBustersMythBustersMythBusters is a science entertainment TV program created and produced by Beyond Television Productions for the Discovery Channel. The series is screened by numerous international broadcasters, including Discovery Channel Australia, Discovery Channel Latin America, Discovery Channel Canada, Quest...
" (2006) Risk Management Consultant - "America's Next Top ModelAmerica's Next Top ModelAmerica's Next Top Model is a reality television show in which a number of women compete for the title of America's Next Top Model and a chance to start their career in the modeling industry....
" (2006) Security Consultant - "Extreme Explosions" (2007) Risk Management Consultant
- "MadventuresMadventuresMadventures is a Finnish travel documentary television series that concentrates on backpacking in the most off-the-beaten-path destinations on the planet. It is presented by Riku Rantala and Tuomas "Tunna" Milonoff. As the show's director and cameramen, they travel around the world exploring...
" (2007) Risk Management Consultant - "In Harm's WayIn Harm's WayIn Harm's Way is a 1965 American epic war film produced and directed by Otto Preminger and starring John Wayne, Kirk Douglas, Patricia Neal, Tom Tryon, Paula Prentiss, Stanley Holloway, Burgess Meredith, Brandon De Wilde, Jill Haworth, Dana Andrews, and Henry Fonda.It was the last black-and-white...
" (2007) Risk Management Consultant - "Surviving Sharks" (2007) Risk Management Consultant
- "Venom Hunter" (2007) Risk Management Consultant
- "Fit to Live" (2007) Risk Management Consultant
- "John Ratzenberger's Made in AmericaJohn Ratzenberger's Made in AmericaJohn Ratzenberger's Made in America is an American documentary television series hosted by John Ratzenberger. The series premiered January 6, 2004, on the Travel Channel. Ratzenberger visits various American manufacturers, taking the show's viewers along on the tours and showing how various...
" (2007) Risk Management Consultant - "Pet Alaska" (2007) Risk Management Consultant
- "Deepest Seas" (2007) Risk Management Consultant
- "Dallas in Wonderland" (2007) Risk Management Consultant
- "Big 5 Challenge" (2007) Risk Management Consultant
- "Green Machines" (2007) Risk Management Consultant
- "The CutThe CutThe Cut was a television reality show for world class fashion designers hosted and sponsored by fashion designer and billionaire Tommy Hilfiger. Sixteen designers split into new teams each week to complete tasks, with a player eliminated each round. The show debuted on CBS, and shifted timeslots...
" (2007) Risk Management Consultant - "Anatomy of the Crusades" (2007) Risk Management Consultant
- "Natural Wonders" (2007) Risk Management Consultant
- "Chimp EdenChimp EdenThe Jane Goodall Institute Chimpanzee Eden, commonly referenced as Chimp Eden is a game reserve and sanctuary for rescued chimpanzees, in the Umhloti Nature Reserve, near Barberton, Mpumalanga, South Africa...
" (2007) Risk Management Consultant - "Freefall" (2007) Risk Management Consultant
- "5 Takes Latin America" (2007) Risk Management Consultant
- "Ten Ways to Save the Planet" (2007) Risk Management Consultant
- "Medicine Men" (2007) Risk Management Consultant
- "Ax MenAx MenAx Men is an American documentary reality television series that premiered on March 9, 2008 on History. The program follows the work of several logging crews in the second-growth forests of Northwestern Oregon, Washington and Montana. The show highlights the dangers encountered by the loggers...
" (2008) Risk Management Consultant - "The Alaska ExperimentThe Alaska ExperimentOut of the Wild is a Discovery Channel reality television series. The first and second seasons followed volunteers from urbanized backgrounds as they try to endure life in the back-country of Alaska during the fall and winter...
" (2008–2009) Risk Management Consultant - "America's Next Top ModelAmerica's Next Top ModelAmerica's Next Top Model is a reality television show in which a number of women compete for the title of America's Next Top Model and a chance to start their career in the modeling industry....
" (2008) Security Consultant - "Shark Family (2007) Risk Management Consultant
- "Samantha Brown's China" (2007) Risk Management Consultant
- "Saving a Species" (2007) Risk Management Consultant
- "Ancient Bones" (2007) Risk Management Consultant
- "Club 1080" (2007) Risk Management Consultant
- "Feeding Time" (2007) Risk Management Consultant
- "The Biggest LoserThe Biggest LoserThe Biggest Loser is an American reality game show that debuted on NBC October 19, 2004. The show features obese people competing to win a cash prize by losing the highest percentage of weight relative to their initial weight....
" (2007) Risk Management Consultant - "Gen Earth" (2007) Risk Management Consultant
- "Bizarre Foods" (2007) Risk Management Consultant
- "Mission Everest" (2007) Risk Management Consultant
- "Latinos en el Avispero" (2007) Risk Management Consultant
- "From the Apes" (2006) Risk Management Consultant
- "Chasing MummiesChasing MummiesChasing Mummies: The Amazing Adventures of Zahi Hawass is a reality television series which is currently airing on The History Channel. Produced by Boutique TV, this series depicts the adventures of archaeologist and Egyptologist Dr. Zahi Hawass and his discoveries in Egypt as he is followed by...
" (2006) Risk Management Consultant - "Wild BlueWild BlueWild Blue may refer to*WildBlue, a two-way satellite ISP subdivision of ViaSat*The Wild Blue: The Novel of the U.S. Air Force, 1986 book by Walter J. Boyne and Steven L. Thompson*The Wild Blue, 2001 book by Stephen Ambrose...
" (2006) Risk Management Consultant - "Fear and Loathing on a Big Bus" (2006) Risk Management Consultant
- "Driving me Crazy" (2006) Risk Management Consultant
- "Secret Life of Jesus Christ" (2006) Risk Management Consultant
- "Extreme EngineeringExtreme EngineeringExtreme Engineering is a documentary television series that airs on the Discovery Channel and the Science Channel. The program features futuristic and ongoing engineering projects. As of April 2011, the show is airing its ninth season. Danny Forster first hosted the series in season 4 and has been...
" (2006) Risk Management Consultant - "Sea Battles" (2006) Risk Management Consultant
- "Return to Disappearing World" (2006) Risk Management Consultant
- "The TombThe TombThe Tomb is a graphic novel written by Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir and illustrated by Christopher Mitten. It was published in 2004 by Oni Press.-Synopsis:...
" (2006) Risk Management Consultant - "National Parks" (2006) Risk Management Consultant
- "Passport to Latin AmericaPassport to Latin AmericaPassport to Latin America is a television show on the Travel Channel hosted by television host Samantha Brown and includes tours of Latin America. A successor to Brown's Passport to Europe series, in Passport to Latin America she tours cities of Latin America such as Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro,...
" (2006) Risk Management Consultant - "National Body Challenge" (2006) Risk Management Consultant
- "Do Not DisturbDo Not DisturbDo Not Disturb is the debut album from the dance, pop singer-songwriter Joanne Accom released in 2001. It was a work in progress for 2 and a half years before it was released.Regarding the album Joanne stated: -Track listing:-Album:- Singles :...
(2006) Risk Management Consultant - "Search for the Master" (2006) Risk Management Consultant
- "Blank CanvasBlank CanvasN.B. is the second studio album released by British singer-songwriter Natasha Bedingfield. It was released in the UK on 30 April 2007 through Phonogenic Records. Upon release the album was praised for Bedingfield's vocals and the fun theme to the records however some critics were disappointed...
" (2006) Risk Management Consultant - "Risk FactorRisk factorIn epidemiology, a risk factor is a variable associated with an increased risk of disease or infection. Sometimes, determinant is also used, being a variable associated with either increased or decreased risk.-Correlation vs causation:...
" (2006) Risk Management Consultant - "Oil Riggers" (2006) Risk Management Consultant
- "Hurricane Special" (2006) Risk Management Consultant
- "Inside the Mammoth" (2006) Risk Management Consultant
- "Army Chaplains" (2006) Risk Management Consultant
- "Rogue NatureRogue NatureRogue Nature is a reality television program broadcast in The United States on Discovery Channel, Discovery HD Theater and Animal Planet. The show follows host, biologist Dave Salmoni as he explores nature's most dangerous animals to see if they really do go out of their way to kill humans.-...
" (2006) Risk Management Consultant - "Tornado AlleyTornado AlleyTornado Alley is a colloquial and popular media term that most often refers to the area of the United States where tornadoes are most frequent. Although an official location is not defined, the area between the Rocky Mountains and Appalachian Mountains is usually associated with it.The areas...
" (2006) Risk Management Consultant - "SurvivormanSurvivormanSurvivorman is a Canadian-produced television program, broadcast in Canada on the Outdoor Life Network , and internationally on Discovery Channel and Science Channel...
" (2006) Risk Management Consultant - "Oil Riggers" (2007) Risk Management Consultant
- "The Biggest LoserThe Biggest LoserThe Biggest Loser is an American reality game show that debuted on NBC October 19, 2004. The show features obese people competing to win a cash prize by losing the highest percentage of weight relative to their initial weight....
" (2007) Health & Safety Consultant - "Storm Chasers" (2008) Risk Management Consultant
- "Inside the FBI" (2009) Risk Management Consultant
- " Man-Eating Sharks" (2006) Risk Management Consultant
- "Diamond Road" (2006) Risk Management Consultant
- "Ant Farm" (2006) Risk Management Consultant
- "Les Stroud Survival Stories" (2006) Risk Management Consultant
- "This Job is a Trip" (2005) Risk Management Consultant
- "Tuna Wranglers" (2005) Risk Management Consultant
- "Baghdad ERBaghdad ERBaghdad ER is a documentary released by HBO on May 21, 2006. It shows the Iraq war from the perspective of a military hospital in Baghdad and by that, illustrates what war really means. It has some relatively disturbing scenes in it , therefore the U.S...
" (2005) Risk Management Consultant - "Corwin's Everest" (2005) Risk Management Consultant
- "Parajumpers" (2005) Risk Management Consultant
- "Scariest Places on EarthScariest Places On EarthScariest Places on Earth is an American paranormal documentary reality television series that originally aired from October 23, 2000 to October 29, 2006. The program was produced by Triage Entertainment for the Fox Family Channel, which is now ABC Family and owns the rights to the show...
" (2005) Risk Management Consultant - "Egypt Live" (2004) Risk Management Consultant