Now the Queen has honoured Rick Hill with an MBE for his services to the broadcast media in the Province through a job well done as Chairman of Northern Ireland Screen.
Mr Hill was educated at Grange Park Primary, Connor House and Bangor Grammar, before going on to graduate from Queen's University with a BSc in Applied Maths and Physics and the University of Aberdeen with a BD (Hons.) in Church History.
He initially worked as Assistant Minister in Ballyholme Presbyterian Church from 1990 to1994, then as Minister of Cairncastle near Larne, before receiving a call to become Minister of Garnerville Presbyterian Church outside Holywood.
While in Cairncastle he began to work more with both electronic and broadcast media. His Church there had a website before the BBC.
In 2001, while at Garnerville, he joined the BBC Broadcasting Council for Northern Ireland and began working on performance appraisal of BBCNI.
Broadcasting policy and social policy became increasingly the focus of his interest. He applied for several roles which led him away from parish ministry and saw him move back to Bangor.
In 2008 Rick Hill was appointed Chairman of Northern Ireland Screen, a government funded agency which works to develop the film and TV industry in the Province.
Projects as diverse as 'Game of Thrones' and 'An Independent People (the History of Presbyterians' were funded in his time as Chairman.
He said, "The Cannes Film Festival in 2008 was a highlight. 'Hunger', a film made in Northern Ireland, which we had funded, won Camera D'or.' Terry and Oorlagh George's film 'The Shore' is another. We funded it and it won an Oscar for best short film."
Mr Hill has been heavily involved in the big leap forward by the film business in Northern Ireland in recent years, which saw both Bangor and North Down used as locations.
Among those high profile productions have been 'Our Robot Overlords', featuring Gillian Anderson and Sir Ben Kinsley, 'Mo', featuring Julie Walters, 'Your Highness', featuring Natalie Portman, James Franco and Danny McBride and 'Game of Thrones.'
Mr Hill said, "The glitz was fun but my main focus was to create the skills and the jobs I knew were so lacking in the Northern Ireland economy.
"Together we developed Titanic Film Studios, secured £175m of inward investment and created over 1,250 jobs. I got to meet lots of interesting people along the way. But my award wouldn't have happened without teamwork.
"I want to pay tribute to Richard Williams, the CEO of NI Screen and Andrew Reid, another Bangor man and Head of Production who, together with Moyra Lock, Head of Marketing, are the powerhouse of the growth in the industry."
Mr Hill's appointment as Chairman of Northern Ireland Screen was for a fixed term and ended this year.
His other interest in social policy continues and he remains Chairman of the Consumer Council for Northern Ireland and a Board member of Consumer Futures UK.
He also owns Titanic Gap Ltd, Media Consultancy, which works with a number of TV companies and film makers, helping to develop their programmes and funding mechanisms.
He is also working on some of his own documentaries. He occasionally leads morning service on Radio Ulster and Prayer for the Day on Radio 4.
In his free time he is a keen sea kayaker.
Mr Hill said of his New Year Honour, "I'm pleased to have been made MBE for services to broadcast media. I was privileged to be one member of an amazing creative team."
