Find out more about the twelve delegates who will be taking part in the second edition of FutureProof, TRC’s programme aimed at unscripted production companies in the Nations and Regions.

FutureProof aims to equip unscripted TV production companies in the Nations and Regions with the skills, tools, and strategies needed to thrive in the digital-first landscape by looking at emerging technologies, platforms, and business models.

Alasdair is a TV producer and director with more than 20 years experience in the industry. He began his career at the BBC before founding Beezr Studios in 2004. He oversees a diverse slate of programmes across factual, fact ent and entertainment shows. Recent credits include “Tool Club” for C4, “Screengrab” for BBC Scotland and “Project Punchline” for BBC ALBA. Alasdair’s family roots are in North Uist, he is also a professional musician and a keen golfer.

With over 25 years of experience in factual television, Jen is co-founder and Executive Producer at F22 Films, a female led production company in Glasgow. Specialising in documentary and factual entertainment, most recent commissions include “Lucy Letby: Did She Really Do It?” (Channel 5), “Lucy Letby: The New Evidence” (Channel 5) and an 8-part series “Coastal Adventures with Helen, Jules and JB” (Channel 5).

With previous companies as Exec Producer, Jen has delivered a range of popular factual content and was Showrunner for “Strip” a 6-part reality show filmed in Las Vegas for Paramount Plus. She is passionate about creating compelling content that resonates with audiences while championing the growth of production in Scotland.

Pauline is Lion Scotland’s Head of Development and responsible for increasing programming output across genres in unscripted and scripted for a UK and international market. Recent commissions, developed and made in Scotland include “Balamory” for CBeebies, “Re/Style” with Emma Willis for Amazon Prime, award-winning specialist factual documentary “Stolen: Catching the Art Thieves” for BBC, BBC daytime’s “Virtually Home” and “Alan Cumming’s Paradise Homes” for Discovery UK.

Seumas is a highly regarded senior broadcast professional with an extensive and successful career across the UK and international creative industries. As a TV Producer and Senior Executive with both the BBC and MacTV, he has built a strong reputation for creative leadership. His work includes numerous landmark and award-winning projects across a wide range of genres and platforms.

Recent years have seen Seumas drive MacTV’s international growth through high-end co-productions. In 2025, he led as Executive Producer on MacTV’s first digital-first commission – “Rudan Beaga Bòidheach (Life’s Little Things)”. The short-form series—a collaboration with Skye-based digital creator Niamh Mackinnon—was co-commissioned by BBC ALBA and BBC Scotland and launches on YouTube and BBC iPlayer in late February.

Harry is Chief Creative Director at Zinc Media Group and Executive Director (MD) Tern TV, and one of the UK’s leading creative content companies specialising in factual storytelling, entertainment formats, ground-breaking documentaries and multi-form branded.

Harry is charged with leading the creative vision of the group’s nine bespoke indie labels from Tern TV to Rex, Atomic to Raw Cut, Brook to Electric Violet. Recent Zinc TV output includes: “Race Against the Tide” (Tern for BBC), “The Inner Circle” (Tern for BBC), “Rob and Rylan’s Grand Tour” (Rex for BBC), “Top Guns: The Next Generation” (Rex for Nat Geo), “Police Interceptors” (Raw Cut for C5), “Tiny Islands” (Tern for C4), “Sunday Morning Live” (Tern for BBC).

Originally from the Scottish Highlands Harry built his career and original company, Tern TV, in Scotland and Northern Ireland before selling to Zinc in 2018. Tern is still his first love where he’s always been passionate about championing regional and diverse talent, breaking the rules and creating returning formats. He’s also learn to live with a life that’s 95% rejection.

Rachel has 30 years’ experience in the TV industry; first working as a journalist at BBC newsrooms in Cardiff and London before moving into longform documentary and factual programming. She’s now responsible for delivering a slate of content in Welsh and English to multiple broadcasters from Boom’s Cardiff base including live OBs, entertainment shows and drama. She also heads up Boom Social, the company’s digital division, delivering broadcast and branded content across all social platforms. She’s committed to finding opportunities to create and produce high quality content in Wales to support the indigenous talent base.

Tom is currently Head of Development at Stellify Media in Belfast. With over 15 years’ experience in television, he began his career in production, working across a range of high-profile factual and entertainment series including “The X Factor“, “This Morning” and “Robot Wars”, and even spending a brief stint as an editor.

In recent years, Tom has focused on his true passion: development. He has held senior development roles at companies including The Garden, BBC Studios and Twenty Twenty, and his commissions include “Squid Game: The Challenge” (Netflix), “Emergency” (Channel 4), “Alone” (Channel 4), as well as Stellify’s recently secured reimagining of “Blind Date” for Disney+.

Emma is co-creative director of Northern Ireland’s Alleycats TV and a BAFTA- and RTS winning and Grierson nominated director, executive producer and content maker across multiple platforms.

Emma’s work covers genres from travel (“Clive Myrie’s Adventures” for iPlayer/BBC2) to pop science (BBCWW/Google’s “Head Squeeze”), from popular factual (C4’s “Naughty and Nice: Sex Toy Britain”) to specialist factual international co-pros (BBC/Lionsgate’s “Raiders of the Lost Past with Janina Ramirez”). Emma has developed and delivered content for platforms including Google, The BBC, the EU, C4, Lionsgate, Yahoo!, Discovery/Warner Bros, A&E, ARTE and RTE.

Format Factory Ltd, established in 2017 by Barry and David Walton, is an award winning independent production company based in Birmingham, West Midlands. As the unscripted production and development arm of Free@Last TV, Format Factory specialises in creating, curating, and producing original content across various genres, including factual, features, entertainment, game, and quiz formats.

The company collaborates with intellectual property (IP) creators, bridging the gap between creatives and commissioners to facilitate the realization of innovative projects. Incorporating Albert Road Studios, Format Factory also produces digital content such as podcasts, audio, and radio, delivering first-class formats for television, radio, online, and other content platforms.

With a commitment to nurturing and supporting creativity, Format Factory consistently attracts top-tier on- and off-screen talent, as well as writing and production professionals. This approach has enabled the company to build a diverse portfolio of critically acclaimed and award-winning programming for major UK broadcasters and international networks. Our credits include award winners “My Life: I’m Leading the Dance” and “My Life: On the Fast Track” for CBBC, and the Feature documentary “Gerry Anderson: A Life Uncharted”. In 2026 the company is producing “A Year in the Life of Leeds Castle” for Channel 4/Abacus Media Rights and 2 feature length music documentaries on Birmingham legends, “The Story of Slade” and “We Had a Fuzzbox & We Used it” in association with the West Midlands IP fund. Through its innovative content and dedication to storytelling, Format Factory plays a significant role in enhancing the creative landscape of the West Midlands and beyond.

Becky is Head of Development & Editorial at BAFTA-, Grierson- and RTS-winning indie Candour Productions, based in Leeds.

A former Broadcast Hot Shot, she has 19 years’ experience across production and development in unscripted television, with credits spanning documentary, specialist factual and factual entertainment. Reporting to Chief Content Officer Anna Hall, Becky now leads the development and delivery of Candour’s slate, playing a key role in shaping the company’s creative direction.

Proud to represent her home county of Yorkshire, she is passionate about nurturing local talent and keen to gain new skills and insight to help futureproof both Candour and the regional industry.

Nicole has over sixteen years’ experience in film and television, with expertise across production management and development. She transitioned fully into television in 2015 with Nine Lives Media, where her passion for developing original formats quickly took shape. Nicole has played a key role across numerous productions at Nine Lives, including both series of “TikTok: Murder Gone Viral” for ITV, “Ricky, Sue and a Trip or Two” for Channel 4, and multiple Panorama programmes for BBC One. Based in the Northwest, she is passionate about pushing creative boundaries and exploring fresh, engaging ideas in development.

Gareth joined Signpost in 2017 tasked with building the company’s production business. Since then, Signpost has produced hours of award-winning factual and fact ent content for a range of broadcasters including “Robson Green’s Weekend Escapes” for the BBC and “Deaf Away Days” for TNT.

Get to know the twelve successful applicants from across the Nations and Regions who are taking part in this year’s SuperSizer programme.

SuperSizer is a professional development programme for ambitious Development Executives based in the Nations and Regions who want to win high value commissions.

This programme is funded by Screen Scotland, BBC Nations and Channel 4.

 

Anne-Claire founded Specky Productions in 2020 and has since produced documentaries broadcast on BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Scotland, Channel 4 and ITVx. She has won three Scottish BAFTAs, with Specky’s productions nominated for nine awards including Scottish BAFTAs, RTS Scotland and Indielab Innovation awards.

A graduate of Channel 4’s Emerging Indie Fund and Indielab Accelerator, Specky was named Best Breakthrough Company at the 2025 Focus Awards. Recent credits include BBC Scotland’s “Lena Zavaroni: The Forgotten Child Star”, BBC One’s “Female Fishermen: Beyond the Buoys” and Channel 4’s digital-first investigation, “The £12 Million Rental Scam”.

Proudly Glaswegian, Anne-Claire is passionate about nurturing local talent, particularly new female directors. With the company tagline ‘real lives in focus’ as its compass, Specky makes documentaries about real people navigating extraordinary circumstances – with the access, editorial rigour and storytelling craft that these stories deserve. Specky is currently looking to supersize its offering and move from award-winning single docs into series.

 

Balnek is a Producer and Development Producer with a specialism in science-based content. With over 15 years of experience in the television industry, he’s worked across many formats and genres, from shiny floor game shows to sketch comedy; winning commissions and creating award-winning formats for major broadcasters.

Over his career he’s been involved in a range of developments; he developed the two-part BBC One series “What They Really Mean For You”, worked up the 7th series of “How The Universe Works” and developed the RTS award winning “CBeebies Stargazing”.

More recently, he served as a Science Producer for CBBC’s “Horrible Science”, the science spin-off of the hit multi-award-winning comedy sketch show “Horrible Histories”.

He’s looking forward to further developing his skills and being a part of the next wave of TV commissions.

 

Beth White is a Manchester-based Development Producer working across factual, documentary and entertainment. She leads the development slate at King of Sunshine Productions alongside the Managing Director, where she originated Channel 4’s “Alpine Train at Christmas” and went on to receive a second commission with “Nordic Train at Christmas”. Beth specialises in idea generation, format building and pitching, with a strong track record of shaping projects from early concept to screen. Her credits include “The Bridge” (Channel 4), “Idris Elba’s Fight School” (BBC Two), “Murder Town” (Crime+Investigation) and “Love Triangle” (Channel 4).

   

With over 12 years’ experience in the TV industry, Cathy started her career in Production, working on a range of multi-genre BBC network programmes like “The One Show”, “Wanted Down Under” and “Sunday Morning Live”.

In 2018 she made the move to Development, where she spent six years with BBC Studios Fact Ent development team winning new business across Belfast, Bristol, London and Cardiff.

This year Cathy joined Spark Media’s newly launched Belfast base, where she’s excited to develop a slate of ambitious, returnable series made in Northern Ireland.

Cathy specialises in originating bold ideas, securing exclusive access and casting unforgettable characters, with commissions including: “Maximum Security” (BBC One), “The Unique Boutique” (Channel 4), “Rescue 999” (Channel 5), “The Great Home Transformation” (Channel 4), “Crime: Are We Tough Enough?” (BBC One), and “Christmas in New York: Inside the Plaza” (Channel 4).

 

Danielle has returned to Scotland after thirteen years working in TV in London. For the past decade she has predominantly worked in development, including senior roles at cutting-edge indies like Voltage, Dragonfly and Wall to Wall.

She enjoys working on a broad slate of ideas, ranging from returnable fact-ent formats to landmark documentaries, for British and international broadcasters. Previous commissions include “Lucy Worsley’s Victorian Murder Club” (BBC), “The Diagnosis Detectives” (BBC) and “Castle Impossible” (HGTV US).

Now at Firecrest Films in Glasgow, Danielle is passionate in creating thought-provoking and entertaining telly.

 

Eleanor Wight is a Senior Development Producer with eight years of experience in development across returning series and one-off films. She helped develop BAFTA-winning work including “Libby, Are You Home Yet?”, and has created projects for HGTV, Discovery+, Channel 5, Channel 4 and the BBC. Her credits range from lifestyle and property formats to high-stakes factual documentaries, from major police access to international con investigations. She specialises in premium feature documentaries and box sets, securing access to headline stories and shaping them into clear, compelling films. She is committed to helping deliver work that can drive change.

 

Fabian is a freelance Development Executive and Series Producer based in Manchester, with experience across reality, entertainment, factual entertainment and documentary development.

Most recently, he has developed an upcoming docu-series for Channel 5 and has previously contributed to the development of programmes including the ITV documentary “Georgia Harrison: Porn, Power, Profit” and the MTV reality series “Living the Dream”.

A former Edinburgh TV Festival “One to Watch” and a 2025 Broadcast “Hot Shot”, Fabian is passionate about the continued growth of the television industry in the North West and also sits on the RTS North West committee.

 

Gareth is a Cardiff-based Head of Development and Series Producer at Nimble Dragon, with over ten years’ experience working across a range of genres including entertainment, reality, factual entertainment, daytime, quiz and factual. Some of his credits include “Six Nations: Sin Bin” with Gabby Logan and Gareth Thomas (BBC), “The Wedding Dress Shop” (BBC) and “Back In The Day” (BBC), alongside an upcoming Channel 4.0 commission. Gareth also developed and series produced S4C’s latest reality series, “Bar Hansh”, filmed in Zante. He’s passionate about developing bold, playful formats that can run and return with a keen eye on digital-first commissioning.

 

Laura-Jane McRae is a Development Executive, Series Producer and BAFTA-nominated Producer/Director with 20 years’ experience across factual. As a Development Executive at Flabbergast TV, she has had success landing the Channel 4 Features single “Can You Make 10K in 10 Days? with Scarlett Moffatt” and is focused on developing bold ideas with the potential to grow into returning formats. Alongside development, she continues to produce at series level, including “Outrageous Homes with Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen”. Her credits span BBC One, Channel 4 and Channel 5. Laura-Jane is driven by ideas with heart, and strong audience connection, and is actively stepping into senior creative leadership.

 

Natalie has an extensive track record in making and developing premium singles, series, box sets and talent-led documentaries. At Walk On Air Films in Belfast, she is currently helping drive the development slate and helped secure the commission of “Death of a Showjumper” for Sky which she went on to Series Produce.

Prior to Walk On Air, Natalie worked at one of the UK’s most successful unscripted production companies, Blast Films. She also spent several years as a documentary maker and journalist at the BBC.

Natalie’s credits include BAFTA Cymru nominated “The Disappearance of April Jones” and “Night Coppers” for Channel 4, plus RTS award winning “Forensics: The Real CSI” and “Patrick Kielty: 100 Years of Union” for the BBC.

 

Tony is a Director, Producer and Development Executive with Solus Productions. He prides himself on creating compelling factual, factual entertainment and human-interest programming for BBC Scotland, BBC Two, BBC ALBA, STV and international platforms. Tony began his television journey as a young actor appearing in ITV’s Dramarama at age 15 before becoming a well-known face on BBC Scotland’s Flagship drama “River City”. His move behind the camera in 2009 began with an award-winning BBC documentary about two young brothers with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Since then, he has specialised in finding the human heart in every story — from trainee priests in Rome, to drag performers living with illness, to globally recognised fashion legends. As Director of Solus Productions, he combines creativity, innovation and editorial rigour with a proven track record of turning ambitious ideas into critically recognised, emotionally resonant television. Tony has just completed his first feature doc about the world-famous cabaret The Moulin Rouge. Recent credits include 3 series of “Jules and Greg’s Wild Swim” BBC Scotland/BBC Two. “Priest School” BBC Scotland/BBC Two, “Scotland’s Model Teenager”, BBC One.

 

Our latest digital-first FutureProof programme is returning in early 2026. Read on to find out the impact it’s had on companies who did the first programme!

Launched to support independent production companies in the Nations and Regions, TRC’s new Future Proof programme was designed to help senior leaders navigate a digital-first media world and seize new opportunities for growth. Between May and July, delegates took part in a combination of in-person sessions, online case studies, and one-to-one consultancy, gaining insights into emerging industry trends and experimenting with practical strategies that can be applied to their own businesses.

Our aim was to make indies in the Nations & Regions more competitive, elevate their position in a crowded media landscape, and give senior leaders the confidence to expand into new content areas.

The programme, developed with TellyCast’s Justin Crosby, covered a huge range: digital-first trends, direct-to-audience strategies, AI tools for content, multi-platform IP and monetisation, data-driven decisions, brand partnerships, the buyers’ landscape, podcasting, and how to scale digital-first production.

Delegates have described the experience as “genuinely one of the best courses” they’ve ever attended, with speakers that were “incredibly inspiring and useful” and that it was a “fantastic and timely course.”

Naomi, Creative Director at Afanti Media, summed it up perfectly:

Emma, Director of Business at Fiercest Films added:

And Katie Lander, Managing Director of Finestripe Productions reflected:

The impact is already evident, since completing the programme: Firecrest are refining their digital content strategy with meaningful progress being made around IP exploitation in the digital space; Finestripe are in the process of digging into their back catalogue to see what would be possible to repurpose and Afanti Media have kicked off a new YouTube channel focused on archive material from their early 2000s music show The Pop Factory.

Another of the companies has hired a YouTube Content Producer and another has repackaged existing IP and created over 80 new videos, ready to launch on to their rebranded YouTube channel.

All of this underlines the ambition of FutureProof: to make sure indies in the Nations & Regions have the confidence, knowledge, and support to thrive in a fast-changing landscape. We’re excited to see the progress made already – and can’t wait to watch what comes next.

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Find out more about the nine selected indies taking part in the second iteration of International Horizons: Scripted.

Aimed at boosting production of scripted drama in the three nations, International Horizons: Scripted will provide companies with the skills, knowledge and networks necessary to thrive in international markets.

The nine successful delegates who have been selected to take part in International Horizons: Scripted are:

Bethan’s TV credits include “Sherlock”, “Aberfan:The Green Hollow”, “A Poet In New York”, “Mistresses”, “Under Milk Wood”, “War And Peace” (Bbc), “Les Miserables” (Lookoutpoint/Twc & Masterpiece) “Dangerous Liaisons” (Playground Entertainment/Startz/Lionsgate).

Co-founder/Co-Creative Director with Michael Sheen of REDSEAM – a company dedicated to developing/producing innovative film and tv drama made in Wales. Their first production, “The Way”, co-created with writer James Graham, Michael Sheen and Adam Curtis was broadcast on BBC ONE early in 2004 – “thrilling new drama is like nothing else on TV – the Guardian.

A recipient of BBC’s Small Indie Fund they work with both experienced and new writers and are exploring future technology in performance with Welsh National Opera and VERE VR funded by Media Cymru.

Emmy, Bafta and Grierson Documentary Award nominated and Bafta Cymru winner, Bethan was the recipient of the BAFTA CYMRU 2019 Sian Phillips Award for significant contribution to TV drama.

Brian is an award-winning TV and Film Producer. He has produced the 2026 9 part thriller/comedy “How To Get To Heaven from Belfast” for Hat Trick/ Netflix , the 2023 international Emmy Award and BAFTA winning film series of Channel 4’s flagship comedy “Derry Girls”, ITV’S 2024 3-part drama “Breathtaking” from creator Jed Mercurrio, the 2024 IFTA Awards Short Animation Winner “A Wind And The Shadow”, the 2020 IFTA Awards Best Picture Winner “Ordinary Love” starring Academy Award nominee Lesley Manville and Liam Neeson, the 2019 IFTA and BIFA Nominee “The Dig” executive produced the 2024 “The Wise Guy” co-produced the 2023 feature “Ballywater” and produced over 20 short films including the 2015 Academy Award nominated and BAFTA Award Winner “Boogaloo And Graham”, the 2019 IFTA Awards Short documentary Nominee “El Hor” and Royal Television Society Winner “#WeAreYou”.

Chris is a film producer with over twenty years of experience in scripted and documentary content. He is working with local writing talent and building a strong scripted slate. His credits include “The Invention”, “Hellboy: The Golden Army”, “Quantum of Solace”, “Hostage to the Devil”, and 2023’s award-winning “Lie of the Land”. A BFI Vision Award recipient, he is developing “Monster(s)”, “Frontiersman”, “Appropriate Adult”, and “American Trailblazer: The Debra Hill Story”. He recently produced Netflix’s “Senna”, Brazil’s most expensive TV series, acclaimed for its authentic depiction of Ayrton Senna. Currently, he is producing the feature documentary “The Day After” and the film “Turret”.

David is a writer and showrunner best known for his debut show ”The Rig”. Released on Amazon Prime in January 2023, the first series topped the Prime chart for four consecutive weeks, making it one of the most watched streaming shows in the UK for that quarter. It also topped streaming charts around the world, including reaching No.2 in the US and No.1 in many other international territories. One of the largest home-grown productions ever made in Scotland, both the first and second series were wholly shot at First Stage Studios in Edinburgh making extensive use of both practical sets and effects, and cutting edge VFX. The second series of ”The Rig” launched in January 2025, again reaching the No.2 spot in the US and showing strong viewing numbers around the world.

David was named a Screen International Rising Star in 2022 and was one of the selected writers chosen for Chris Chibnall’s inaugural Future UK Showrunners scheme across 2023/24. Alongside developing projects with a number of leading indies and broadcasters, David recently created his own company, Inconceivable Productions Ltd, to allow him to develop work independently and bring projects direct to market.

Ed is the founder of Wales based Fiction Factory Films where he has written, directed or produced over 250 hours of award-winning drama across all genres earning more than 90 nominations and awards and distribution to over 100 countries, streaming on Netflix, ITVX, Britbox U.S. and BBC iPlayer. Some of his credits include “Tree on a Hill/Pren Ar Y Bryn”, “Hinterland/Y Gwyll”, “Pen Talar” and “House of America”. Ed is also a playwright whose work has been translated into 10 languages and performed all over Europe Australia and the Americas. They include “Song From A Forgotten City”, “Gas Station Angel” and “On Bear Ridge” (Royal Court London). He is an Arts Foundation fellow and Honorary Fellow of Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and University of Wales Aberystwyth.

Jenny develops and produces scripted content at Pirate Productions. Recently she co-produced “Recipes for Love and Murder”, 10-part drama series for MNET and Acorn TV.

Pirate is an award-winning writer-led Scottish company with a local and international outlook. Pirate collaborates with the best creative talent behind and in front of the camera to bring stories to an audience which wants to be challenged and entertained. Projects focus on strong female characters on complex emotional journeys and like their audiences, Pirate is always looking for new ways of storytelling.

Prior to joining Pirate, Jenny ran the Glasgow Film Office, promoting Glasgow as a world class production hub. Before that she worked freelance in TV, film, and theatre production. Jenny’s passion is finding exceptional projects and working with others – local talent as well as international production and distribution partners – to bring these projects to the screen.

John runs Good Gate Media, a Cardiff-based film, HETV & gaming studio. His films have won awards at BAFTA Cymru, BIFA, Berlin, Toronto & Tribeca. His film “The Machine” won three BAFTA Cymru’s (Best Picture, a BIFA and the Screen Award for UK distribution) and was then commissioned to be made into a $9m TV Pilot by NBC Universal. Over the past year, Good Gate projects have included “The Man in My Basement” (in partnership with Disney, starring Willem Dafoe and Corey Hawkins, directed by Nadia Latif), which is set to premiere at TIFF; “H is for Hawk” with Plan B and Lionsgate (starring Claire Foy and Brendan Gleeson, directed by Philippa Lowthorpe); and a BFI/Film4-backed thriller feature shot in Lagos, Nigeria. GGM is now expanding into scripted television and has a strong slate of projects in development with studio partners. 

Louise is Co-Creator and Executive Producer on BBC’s BAFTA award winning “Blue Lights”, which has been recommissioned.  She started her career at the BBC in Belfast working in production across radio, TV and online services. She flew the BBC nest and started working on independent shorts and features, producing her first feature film, “A Bump Along the Way” in 2018. She joined Hat Trick at the start of 2020 to run their most westerly outpost in Belfast, seeking out new and exciting projects across Ireland.

Morven is the Head of Development and Executive Producer at Mam Tor Productions. In collaboration with Tally Garner, she has executive produced the BBC One and Amazon series “Chloe” and the BBC and HBO series “Half Man”. Additionally, she leads Mam Tor Productions in Scotland.

Prior to her current role, Morven script edited “Pure” (Drama Republic), the second season of “A Discovery Of Witches” (Bad Wolf), and “River City” (BBC Scotland). She also worked across development slates for the BFI Film Fund and BBC Scotland Drama Development.

 

Read more about the delegates taking part in the ScreenSkills Series Producer Programme this year. 

Running from June 2025 to January 2026, the Series Producer Programme is designed to support significantly experienced producers and early-stage Series Producers looking to bridge gaps in their experience. This programme will empower new Series Producers based in the Nations and Regions with the confidence and skills needed to establish themselves and succeed on network production, creating the next generation of showrunners for UK television.

This training programme is funded by the ScreenSkills Unscripted TV Skills Fund which invests in training for the unscripted workforce thanks to contributions from broadcasters, SVoDs and production companies.

Ben Sheldon is a multi-award-winning Series Producer and Director known for delivering cinematic, editorially sharp documentaries for Channel 4, Amazon Prime and the BBC. He’s documented the first cries of newborns in “Life and Birth” and the people’s final goodbyes in “Ambulance”, capturing the full spectrum of human life – and considers it a real privilege to be invited into people’s most intimate, defining moments. From securing a world-first in filming Reaper drones on live missions in the Middle East to capturing complex neurosurgery, Ben specialises in sensitive, character led access. He brings rigour, empathy and a drive to push the creative boundaries of documentary storytelling.

Celia Jennison is a BAFTA winning documentary producer known for creating bold, socially-driven films that amplify underrepresented voices and challenge systemic injustice. With a background in investigative storytelling and a passion for human rights, Celia has produced a range of acclaimed documentaries tackling issues from violence against women and girls to institutional scandal. Celia’s collaborative approach ensures authenticity and impact, earning her recognition across UK broadcasters and global streamers. She brings a strong editorial vision, deep sensitivity, and a proven track record of turning complex, sensitive stories into powerful television.

Eleanor is a producer and shooting pd who started her career casting for antique tv programmes in 2007.

During the 2008 economic downturn she took the opportunity to temporarily relocate to Italy to learn the language and after returning worked in London, Cardiff and Bristol working on multiple award winning series like “Hunted”, “Masterchef: the Professionals” and “Escape to the Country”. She relocated back to Wales in 2020 and now works across Welsh and national productions or filming network series abroad. She has cultivated a specialism is working on travelogues (most notably Italian) for multiple channels and streamers and includes the first 2 series of “Amanda and Alan’s Italian Job” for BBC 1 and the new “Tucci in Italy” with Stanley Tucci for Disney+ as some of her most recent credits.

George is a freelance Producer Director & Story/Edit Producer from Yorkshire, who began his career at ITV in Leeds. He has since collaborated with respected indies across Northern England and worked on a wide range of genres. With credits on beautifully crafted series as “The Yorkshire Dales” and “The Lakes, Devon and Cornwall”, and “Fletchers’ Family Farm”, George has established his niche in heartfelt storytelling. Organised, creative and diligent, George brings ideas to life with a strong editorial sense and director’s eye for character-driven films. His recent Development Producer role now means he is attuned to the evolving industry landscape.

Georgina Leslie is an EMMY nominated and BAFTA award winning Producer/Director with nearly 20 years’ experience in high-end documentary, history, arts and specialist factual. With a journalist background and more than a decade spent honing her craft at the BBC before going freelance, she’s worked on critically acclaimed series such as “Who Do You Think You Are”, “The Culture Show”, “Catching Britain’s Killers” and “Lucy Worsley Investigates”.. Taking her films from initial idea to final delivery, she prides herself on her journalistic rigour and creative flair – and is passionate about telling powerful factual stories that connect emotionally with the audience. 

Hollie Smith is a Senior Producer, Edit Producer and Development Producer with more than a decade’s experience across high-profile factual, documentary and factual entertainment programming. She has shaped prime-time programmes from pitch through to post – with strong editorial judgement and clarity. A former journalist, she has led teams across fast-turnaround strands, and is equally at home shooting on location, crafting in the edit, or developing new formats.

Currently based in Glasgow, Hollie is focused on stepping into Series Producing – bringing together her leadership experience, passion for story, and commitment to building inclusive, collaborative teams.

Jonny Smith is a Shooting Producer/Director with over a decade of experience in television, working with major broadcasters and streamers including the BBC, ITV, Netflix and Amazon. Known for his strong editorial judgment, instinctive storytelling and confident self-shooting, he’s filmed across the UK and abroad on complex, sensitive and ambitious productions. He began his career in film before moving into sport, documentaries and formatted factual. Originally from the South Shields, Jonny recently launched his own production company Bonny Lad Productions and is now looking to step up to Series Producer and take the creative and editorial lead on future projects.

Keeley is a versatile Producer/Director and Edit Producer with over 14 years’ experience across factual, obs doc, current affairs, factual entertainment and lifestyle formats. From working with vulnerable contributors with sensitive access to directing feel-good formats, she brings empathy, creativity and integrity to every project.

She’s worked across the Nations and Regions as well as internationally, for all major UK broadcasters, shaping stories both on location and in the edit. With a background in journalism and experience in scripted storytelling, Keeley has a strong instinct for narrative and tone. Whether navigating sensitive access or crafting warm, accessible content, she’s passionate about telling stories that resonate and reflect real lives.

Lloyd began his television career at 16, working on Welsh-language productions before leaving school early to accept a place on a BBC Apprenticeship Scheme. He cut his teeth on live studio shows “The One Show” and “This Morning”, and spent the next 10 years working across a broad range of factual entertainment programmes including “Dragons’ Den”, “The Great British Bake Off”, “First Dates”, and “Race Across the World”. The COVID pandemic brought him back to Wales, where for the past five years he has worked as a producer, leading casting teams on shows such as “Top Gear”, “Only Connect” and “Antiques Roadshow” as well as working on “Wales’ Home of the Year” since its inception. 

Simon Muriel is a highly experienced and super-versatile, RTS and Emmy award winning Producer/Director and Edit Producer with 26 years of experience in the industry and 35 Producer credits. He has a passion for natural history (“Extreme Planet Earth”, ITV”, “Earth At Night”, Apple, “Incredible Animal Journeys”, Disney+) a love of adventurous documentary (“Primal Survivor”, Nat Geo, “A Cabbie Abroad”, BBC2, “Toughest Place to Be ..”, BBC 2, “Airforce Afghanistan”, FIVE, “Japan’s Atlantis with Monty Halls”, Nat Geo) and a zeal for factual entertainment and ob doc (“One Born Every Minute”, C4, “Rescue Dog to Superdog”, C4, “Amir Khan’s Angry Young Men”, C4, “Don’t Tell The Bride”, C4). He prides himself on his ability to distil complex subjects and create compelling heartfelt stories from all aspects of life.

Stephanie is an Emmy-award-winning Producer/Director and Edit Producer with a passion for documenting the natural world. She started her career developing and directing short-form films for the “One Show” before moving into live TV, working on shows such as BBC “Springwatch” and National Geographic’s “Earth Live”. Ten years ago Stephanie began directing and producing blue-chip Natural History documentaries, such as Disney’s “A Real Bugs Life”, Netflix’s “Night on Earth” and National Geographic’s “Super/Natural”, and through this she has become particularly experienced with filming in extreme and remote environments. Stephanie is currently producing both wildlife and human focused episodes for a major new series for a leading SVOD.

Will is an award-winning Senior Producer and Director specialising in creating landmark wildlife films, including the most watched series of 2017 (“Blue Planet II”) and the most watched factual series of 2023 (“Planet Earth III”). Will began his career in TV 20 years ago in London, making children’s wildlife series for Channel five and later as a self-shooting PD on factual entertainment formats for BBC and Channel Four, such as “Wanted Down Under” and “Celebrity Antiques Road Trip”. In 2010 he joined BBC’s Natural History Unit in Bristol, where he produced a wide range of natural history series, before specialising in landmark blue-chip series.

Find out more about the twelve delegates who will be taking part in FutureProof, TRC’s new programme aimed at unscripted production companies in the Nations and Regions.

FutureProof aims to equip unscripted TV production companies in the Nations and Regions with the skills, tools, and strategies needed to thrive in the digital-first landscape by looking at emerging technologies, platforms, and business models.

Naomi is the Creative Director of family-run Welsh indie, Afanti Media. Naomi has worked across production and development for the last 13 years, with a particular focus on factual, entertainment and digital propositions. During her time in development, she has secured competitive access, built strong on-screen talent relationships and developed internationally selling returning formats, securing some of Afanti’s most highly acclaimed commissions such as “World’s Biggest Cruise Ship” for Channel 4 (Lifestyle), “The Perfect Pitch” for Channel 4 (Daytime) or “Life Drawing Live!” With Joe Lycett for BBC2 and 4 (Music & Arts). Of late, she has turned her hand to the digital landscape, developing and producing live watchalong’s for the Euro’s 2025 streamed on YouTube, high profile talent led podcasts for BBC Sounds and even nabbing the award for Best Social Format at Edinburgh TV’s New Voices Award for our welsh-language digital format “Tisho Fforc?!” on S4C / Hansh.

Alison is an Executive Producer with over 20 years’ experience in TV, branded content, and digital production. At Afro-Mic Productions, her recent credits include “Will & Ralf Should Know Better” (U&Dave) and “If Walls Could Talk” (BBC NI). She has led development teams, shaped strategy, and secured commissions—often with small regional indies. Originally from Merseyside, Alison is passionate about championing regional production and amplifying working-class voices, and she’s really excited by the creative potential of digital storytelling.

Louis is the Managing Director of Button Down, a factual indie based in York. Specialising in documentary and factual entertainment, most recent commissions include “Will You Marry Me?” for E4, a series in which lovestruck Brits go to extreme lengths to pop the question, and the returning series “Brickies” for BBC Three. He is the Executive Producer of a forthcoming feature documentary for BBC, about a public health scandal, made by Button Down in partnership with Keo Films. Previously Louis has been a Producer and Director working for the likes of VICE, IMG and BBC.

Katie Lander set up Finestripe Productions in 2005, establishing it as a Glasgow-based, non-scripted fully independent production company. Over the past 19 years it has produced acclaimed documentaries and series for major broadcasters in both the UK and US, including “Shrink Rap with Pamela Stephenson”, “The Day John Lennon Died”, “Inside Dior”, and “The Mysterious Mr Lagerfeld”. In 2012, Katie created “Bank of Dave”, the BAFTA and RTS award-winning Channel 4 series that made Dave Fishwick a household name. The story went on to inspire two hit Netflix feature films starring Rory Kinnear and she was an executive producer on them both.

Katie continues to executive produce a wide range of Finestripe’s content including two series of “Sophie Grigson’s Slice of Italy” for Discovery’s Food Network that won the Fortnum & Mason award in 2024 and Davina McCall’s landmark Channel 4 films on the menopause and the contraceptive pill  — programmes that not only sparked a national conversation but also helped drive legislative change.

Emma Curtis started her TV career as a runner on the first series of “Big Brother” in 2000, she then went on to work on a number of large scale reality TV shows, live TV events and entertainment shows through to 2010, steadily working up to Production Manager, where she circled back round to “Big Brother”, re-joining the team as Task and Design PM on series 8 through to series 11. In 2010, a move to Scotland then saw a career shift into factual output where she worked with the BBC specialist factual unit for 6 years, following which, Emma joined Firecrest Films as PM in 2017, moving swiftly up to Production Executive that year and then to Head of Production in 2019. In January 2024, Emma moved into the newly created Role, Director of Business for Firecrest Films where she is across all production output, distribution, strategy and company business.

Joff is a television producer and showrunner known for crafting inventive factual formats. As Head of Factual at Hello Halo, he splits his time between Glasgow and London, having previously led Popular Factual at Remarkable Television. His credits include the BBC’s much-loved “Animal Park” and the creation of the mind-bending “Your Home Made Perfect”. Joff has a particular passion for blending emerging technology with strong storytelling, which is reflected in the slate he oversees. He’s just wrapped “Game of Wool”, a new competitive knitting show, proudly made in Scotland for Channel 4, fronted by Tom Daley.

Tammy cofounded Little Bird Films in 2017. Since setting up Little Bird, Tammy has worked as a producer director for their popular BBC Wales and BBC3 series “Hayley Goes”, before becoming Creative Director and overseeing their development slate and winning over 30 hours of commissions for BBC Wales, BBC3, C5, S4C and C5 ranging from award winning docs, to popular factual and factual entertainment formats. Her latest S4C format has been picked up by ITV Studios and Tammy’s focus in now on working closely with distributors and digital producers to develop highly returnable formats that can travel and sit on any platform. With the commissioning slowdown, Tammy has embraced the digital landscape and with her co-founder they have pivoted their business plan to be more digital focussed as well as developing a soon to launch carbon calculator app and website for greener productions. Tammy’s passion at Little Bird is to help create a greener and more sustainable industry and make content that has impact and broad appeal with purpose.

Jackie is an exec producer with extensive experience developing and producing factual Natural History and children’s content. Co-founding Maramedia in 2010 she has jointly overseen the company’s growth into an award winning Scottish Natural History production company with an international reputation.  She was a lead producer on the company’s Emmy-nominated “Highlands”. Other notable credits include “Chasing the Rains” narrated by Adjoa Andoh and the “Stormborn” trilogy narrated by Ewan McGregor along with recent Feature Doc – “A Life Among Elephants”.

With a prior background as a conservation biologist Jackie has extensive specialist natural history expertise and a real passion for nature storytelling.  She began her TV career at the world-renowned BBC Natural history Unit and has worked on 100 + hours of successful award-winning natural history productions.  Jackie is excited by new ideas and collaborations and is passionate about inspiring, entertaining, and educating all about the natural world.

Linsay has been Head of Development at RTR since 2018. The huge variety of subjects that being in development brings with it (quite often all at the same time) is one of her favourite things about the job. One minute you’re creating a series set on a farm, the next writing a documentary on homelessness; exploring the work of high-end florists or working out how to travel around Europe in the most fun way possible.

Linsay has created formats, series and singles for C4, C5, BBC, BBC Scotland, and Discovery+, such as “Kirstie’s Handmade Christmas” (C4 Daytime), “Escape to the Farm with Kate Humble”, “A Country Life for Half the Price” (both C5), “Billionaire Blooms” (C4), and “Holiday Homes in the Sun” (C5) amongst many others.

Award-winning producer, writer, executive producer, founder of Scottish film and television label Storyboard Studios.  Across an almost three decade career, Natalie has created and delivered ratings and acclaim at home and around the world for directing,  innovation, craft and reaching new and underserved audiences.  Current projects Natalie is producing include “Molly Versus the Machines”, an arresting story about the rise of surveillance capitalism and filming is also underway in Africa on a landmark environmental story of our times, plus we are producing a major cinematic project that will allow us inside a confronting WWII photographic archive for the first time. Recent on-air projects include “Michael Mosley’s Wonders of the Human Body”, “Cu Leis Thu?” which follows Paddy MacQueen travelling the country in search of a new puppy. Before launching Glasgow’s Storyboard Studios, Humphreys held a number of senior roles including leading factual for BBC Studios and controller of factual for BBC Television.  She was in charge of a £100M+ portfolio which included the world-renowned BBC Natural History Unit, Science and Documentaries and was editorial lead for the BBC’s partnership with PBS.

Norma brings over twenty-five years of television production experience to her role as CEO at Leeds based, True North Productions. True North’s broad slate includes high volume lifestyle, premium access documentary series, talent led formats and true crime.

True North are always exploring Futureproofing the business and are therefore very pleased to be on this new digital focused TRC course.

Previously Norma was at Channel 4’s Indie Growth Fund where she invested in a successful portfolio of companies. Prior to C4, Norma held senior finance roles at Optomen Television, where she helped grow the business and sell it to All3Media and at Talkback Productions (Fremantlemedia). She is originally from South Africa and is a CIMA qualified accountant.

Edwina is a development executive and series producer at Tuesday’s Child Scotland. She splits her time between development and production – spending half the year series producing “The Hit List” and getting involved in whatever other projects she can get her hands on. The remainder of the year she works in development and loves interrogating new formats.  She is happiest in a studio and loves a glossy ents format or a good quiz. She moved to Glasgow in 2011 for a 6 month contract and hasn’t left since. She has previously worked with indies across the UK including Firecracker, Hungry Bear and IWC Media.

Find out more about the six trainees who will be taking part in the third iteration of FormatLab, a paid development training programme aimed at creative people based in Scotland. 

FormatLab focuses on the development of multi-part and returning formats in entertainment and factual entertainment including reality, talent, game and quiz shows. It will feature training, mentoring and placements for candidates over nine months.

After studying Creative Writing at the University of Glasgow, Anjeli went on to publish poetry with SPAM, Embassy Gallery, Gutter and The Edwin Morgan Trust. She began her own zine exploring a long-held love for Rom-coms, Meet Cute Zine. She then transitioned into the world of scripted television, working at Pulse Films where she assisted Executive Producers with their slates and supported writers’ rooms. Her passion for reality television – particularly “The Real Housewives” and the Bravo-verse -comes from a fascination with the psychology of real people in high-stakes environments. Anjeli is captivated by how contributors’ authentic personalities and motivations unfold on screen. This interest drives her to focus on format development, where she aims to create character-driven narratives for future reality projects.

Having studied Computer Science at the University of Cape Town, Chris very quickly realised he wasn’t meant to create code, but excellent TV. After moving to the UK, Chris was an intern at several film companies before moving to Scotland for a Masters degree at Glasgow Caledonian University. Over the past few years, he has worked on sets, made short films and sketches, and been employed as a carer. He was a part of the John Yorke NFTS course (2024) and has written several films for daytime television. Most importantly, he has spent a lot of time watching amazing television and is extremely excited to be a part of making it with Beezr.

Eilidh loves stories. She studied English and Scottish Literature at Glasgow University, writes theatre reviews for Binge Fringe Magazine and spent the summer working in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society’s Artist Development team – helping connect artists to further storytelling opportunities. As a delegate of The Television Foundation’s talent scheme The Network, she spent four days at this year’s Edinburgh Television Festival learning how to develop and pitch unscripted television formats. She fell in love with this form of storytelling and cannot wait to explore it in more depth.

After graduating with a degree in Broadcast Production a bright-eyed Matthew looked forward to getting his foot in the shiny world of TV.  This unfortunately didn’t go quite as planned and he secured a role working in a cinema where he timidly told family “Well, I technically work in the screen industries”. Eventually he landed himself a position as a post-production runner and found his footing in the world of television. When he’s not making (above average) coffees, Matthew spends his time writing sketch comedy and performing improv. His work has been nominated for a RTS Scotland Student Television Award.

Mhari graduated from the University of Dundee with a Masters of Arts in Creative Writing. She’s always been passionate about great storytelling especially in the world of Entertainment. Recently she developed, wrote and performed a show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival titled ‘Bedtime Stories’ incorporating audience participation, musical comedy and short stories. Mhari is excited to bring her love of TV, production and creative skills developed through her previous work in publishing, marketing and PR, and recruitment to the television industry.

Zara always knew she wanted to pursue a career in the arts since acting at a young age. Her love for drama led her to study an undergraduate degree in Theatre and Film and Television studies at the University of Glasgow. Zara then moved to London to pursue a masters in TV Journalism at City University. Zara was keen to gain as much practical experience as possible and interned at ITV’s Lorraine show and This Morning. Zara also gained work experience at Wall to Wall production company and it was here where she discovered her real passion for working in unscripted TV development. With her favourite programme being Strictly Come Dancing and having a huge love for entertainment television, Zara can’t wait to work on new exciting entertainment formats!

 

Leading broadcast training provider TRC announces new Northern Ireland Screen backed creative development programme SuperSizing Global Sales aimed at indies based in Northern Ireland.

This innovative new initiative builds on the success of TRC’s Scotland based Supersizing Development Teams programme, aimed at equipping indies with the tools and insights to think bigger, bolder, and more creatively.

With a focus on global opportunities, Supersizing Global Sales will provide a structured framework to enhance creativity and scale up ideas for international markets.

Over the course of four months, participating indies will benefit from group training and one-to-one consultancy, with personalised guidance and support to navigate the global marketplace effectively and formulate a bespoke sales strategy. In addition to this, representatives from each company will have the opportunity to attend Content London and one other international market.

In this first edition, SuperSizing Global Sales will work with four Northern Irish indies. Participants on the programme are:

• Michael Fanning and Patricia Moore from Below The Radar
• Jane Kelly, Philip McGovern, Bec Milligan and Muireann McGinty from Big Mountain Productions
• Abigail Keyes, Edward Hart and Hannah McMillan from Rare TV
• Matthew Worthy, Tom Doyle-Wood, Shannon Hamilton and Sophie Hagan from Stellify Media

Claire Scally, Managing Director of TRC commented:

“Having successfully supported close to 100 ambitious Development Executives in the Nations and Regions over the past 8 years with SuperSizer and eight Scottish teams with SuperSizing Development Teams, we wanted to broaden this programme’s scope to focus on global opportunities. This intensive course will incorporate key training on creative teams and highlight key areas for global success. We look forward to supporting the four selected indies in Northern Ireland and beyond.”

Richard Williams, Chief Executive of Northern Ireland Screen said:

“We welcome the opportunity to support local indies based in Northern Ireland through TRC’s Supersizing Global Sales development programme.  For the four selected local indies, this initiative will equip them with the skills to navigate and capitalise on global opportunities, ensuring they are both recognised and celebrated on the world stage.”

To learn more about SuperSizing Global Sales please visit https://trcmedia.org/training/supersizing-global-sales/

This programme is funded by Northern Ireland Screen.

Michael is an award winning producer and director who has produced a range of factual programmes and series for broadcasters across the UK and Ireland. He is Managing Director of Below The Radar, a Belfast based TV production company. He joined Below The Radar in 2006 having spent five years working in news and current affairs at UTV.

Michael is also a Board member of Northern Ireland Screen.

Patricia Moore is an experienced television executive who has worked in the industry for 30+ years, developing and producing many hours of multi-genre content. She has also worked as an executive producer and is experienced in building trusted relationships with teams, contributors, and on-screen talent.

She started her in UTV where she worked as a senior producer/director before leaving in 2007 to run Tyrone Productions’ Belfast/UK office. Since then, she has worked on a wide range of factual, fact ent and documentary content for UK, Irish and international broadcasters.

Patricia recently took up the role of Head of Development with Below the Radar with a focus on developing new business relationships and building on the company’s successful slate.

Jane co-founded Big Mountain Productions and leads creative and strategy across both companies in Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland with partnerships and teams in LA and Brighton. Together with husband and business partner, Philip McGovern, they have created award-winning shows in Ireland, UK and USA and sell their shows and licences worldwide.

Originally from West Belfast, Jane was first in her family to attend university in Edinburgh and joined the BBC Graduate Trainee Programme before working for many years as a producer/director, then SP on a range of programming for BBC and in the independent sector in USA, UK and Ireland.

Jane is a former member of Creative Skillset and mentee of BBC/NIS Aim High Schemes, ILBF Trainee Scheme and Young Entrepreneur NI. She has been active in female entrepreneurship in NI, UK and USA for last 10 years, is a member of Going For Growth Female-led business network, a former member of The British Irish Chamber of Commerce, CAST (Culture, Arts, Sport and Tourism) Committee and SME Committee, Intertrade Ireland Ambassador and a published author.

Philip McGovern has 25 years’ experience in television production with the BBC, RTE, UK & Irish indie sector- in the documentary,  popular factual, fact/ent and entertainment genres.

Bec brings 20 years’ experience working in popular factual and fact-ent formats, with a 360 view having worked her way up from researcher to exec across roles in development, production, and commissioning.
Having cut her teeth casting on award winning documentaries (“Breaking up with the Joneses”), she transitioned into directing and series producing popular formats such as “Celebrity Masterchef”, “The Apprentice” and “The Great British Bake Off”. She also worked across popular history series Reel Lives of Britain and Features series “Grow Your own Drugs”. Bec then moved to Channel 4 in commissioning for formats and Education. She has since been consulting on developments and productions for popular factual formatted shows for major UK broadcasters C4, ITV, C5 and BBC.

Muireann is Series Producer with Big Mountain with over a decade of experience in multi-genre production. She was SP on the company’s recent More4/C4 “Country House Auction” following successful Factual Fast Track participation. She is current SP on “Relataí na Gaeltachta/Celebrity Summercamp” for RTE1 and is a recommission of her successful first series.
Muireann has worked on current affairs and live studio programmes (“BBC Sunday Morning Live”, “Spotlight Special”, “Nolan Live”), documentaries and fact-ent formats (More 4’s “Ireland with Ardal O’Hanlon”, BBC/RTÉ’s “Peataí/Pets”, RTE1’s “Madrai/Dogs!”), as well as the award-winning programmes “Spotlight-Buried Secrets” and “When is Sex Rape?”, and “A Very British Mission”. Muireann was a writer on Channel 5’s “Mimi’s World” – a live-action series currently filming in Belfast, and her short documentary “Feed” debuted at Galway Film Fléadh ‘21.

Abigail is a development producer with a strong track record in creating, developing, and selling a broad range of factual and factual entertainment programmes.  

Commissions she has helped develop include “Island Medics” for BBC2, “B&B by the Sea” for BBC 2,” Made Up in Belfast” for BBC3, “Dream Life for the Same Price” for Channel 4 and “Ireland: Coast and Country” for More4.  

Before joining the Rare team, Abigail has developed with indies in Belfast, Glasgow and London – including Remarkable, Hungry Bear, Afro-Mic Productions and Mentorn Media – and was part of the Ones to Watch cohort for 2022.  

Edward Hart is executive producer with Rare Television, where he oversees the company’s offices in both Belfast and Dubin, producing a slate of returning series. These include “Expert Witness” (4 seasons) and “Digging for Britain” (12 seasons) for the BBC, “Crimecall” (9 seasons)  and “The Case I Can’t Forget” (5 seasons) for RTE, and “Life on the Edge” (3 seasons) for The Outdoor Channel.  When tax incentives allow, he also runs co-productions with US broadcasters, including “Inside Mighty Machines” and “Make it Out Alive” (Smithsonian) and “Egypt’s Unexplained Files” (Science Channel).  

Hannah began her career in 2019 as an NI Screen trainee on the Aim High scheme, gaining valuable experience across various TV genres. Currently an assistant producer, she has recently joined Rare TV’s development team, where she continues to pursue her passion for shooting, editing, and developing new ideas across both factual and entertainment content. Some of the programmes she has worked on include BBC quiz shows “Mastermind” and “Lightning”, Channel 4’s obs-doc “Belfast Midwives”, BBC crime series “Expert Witness”, CBBC’s “Style It Out” and the award-winning sketch comedy “The Paddy Raff Show”.

Matthew Worthy is a TV Format Creator and Executive Producer.  He is also the CEO and Co-Founder of Stellify Media, alongside his creative and business partner, Kieran Doherty. Together they have co-created multiple entertainment formats including “Secret Fortune” and “Take the Money and Run”.

In 2014 they launched Belfast based production company Stellify Media as a joint venture with Sony Pictures Television. Stellify Media is a multi award-winning company best known for Netflix’s very first gameshow, “Flinch!”, and for successfully rebooting “Who Wants to Be A Millionaire?” with Jeremy Clarkson for ITV and “Blind Date” with Paul O’Grady for Channel 5.  

Tom is Head of Development at Belfast-based Stellify Media.

With nearly 15 years’ experience in the industry, Tom started his career in production where he worked on series including “The X Factor”, “This Morning” and “Antiques Road Trip” – and even became an editor for a brief stint.

More recently, he has focused on his true passion: development. He has held senior roles at companies including The Garden, BBC Studios and Twenty Twenty, with some of his commissions include “Squid Game: The Challenge” (Netflix), “Emergency” (Channel 4), “Alone” (Channel 4) – and Stellify’s recently secured “The Art Game” for BBC Two.

Shannon is Development Producer at Belfast-based Stellify Media. She first joined as a Northern Ireland Screen trainee back in 2019, being part of the team that created “Celebrity Snoop Dogs” for Channel 4.

After gaining experience in production and development in other Northern Irish Indies – working on a new archaeological series “Bone Detectives: Britain’s Buried Secrets” with Tern TV and a returning holiday series “Getaways” with Waddell Media, she then rejoined the Stellify team in 2023. Since then, she has pitched to Disney+ which has led to the company’s very first documentary development funding from a streamer.

Most recently she was announced as a 2024 Broadcast Hot Shot.

Sophie Hagan initially joined Stellify in 2022 as part of the prestigious NI Screen placement scheme – Aim High. Since then, she has worked across production and development in Moondog Productions, Potato TV, Fine Point Films and Green Inc. Once she had completed her placements across the Northern Irish TV industry it wasn’t long before Stellify snapped her up, first for the production of “Second Hand Style Up”, and then in development as a development researcher.
Some of her credits outside of Stellify include “The Finish Line”, “The Crime I Can’t Forget” and “The Blame Game”. With the help of NI Screen stepping up funds, Sophie has since made the move to Development AP.