Just as I was getting to university, the BBC broadcast a sitcom by Douglas Adams called The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, which became an international success through a TV series, a film, a stage show, and a novel translated into thirty languages. One of the pieces of technology described in the book was the Babel Fish, a small yellow fish inserted into the ear which simultaneously translates from one spoken language to another as its nutrition processes convert sound into brain waves, 'neatly crossing the language divide between any species you should happen to meet whilst travelling in space'. I was thinking about the Babel Fish while reading about Apple's Live Translation feature available on iPhones from version 15 onwards. It can translate your voice or Facetime calls from and to English (both the UK and U.S types), French, German, Brazilian Portuguese, and Castillian Spanish. Still in Beta testing but it's the Babel Fish made real. I already see tourists using the Google Tran

The clocks have gone back, leaves are falling and Autumn is here. Pumpkins are filling the streets of Copenhagen ahead of Halloween on October 31st. The other thing that's out is posters of all the candidates in the Danish local elections, happening on November 18th. They're on every metal post, the railings of bridges, and trees all over the city. I love seeing this - an expression of people's pride in serving their local area. Local elections in the UK see a lot of flyers stuffed in letterboxes, and you don't get that same sense of community. The list of candidates is long so not easy to work out who to vote for... AI, shopping and celebrity focussed algorithms, populist politics, and goldfish attention spans are all valid reasons to be gloomy about the future of documentary, but there is light in the darkness! People are craving personal & international perspectives, authenticity and debate. They care about what their fellow humans are living through. We just have to let the audienc

A couple of weeks ago I was in Rome for MIA, the Mercato Internazionale Audiovisivi - the Italian content market combining movies, drama series and documentaries. I produced and moderated a panel about history programmes. I wanted to do the panel is because of how vital it is to bring stories from the past for audiences to recognise and learn from. The panel happened on a date which will go down in history, October 7th, the anniversary of an event which has caused so much death and destruction,am first on that day in Israel and then for the past two years in Palestine. As many countries try to rewrite the historical record and use history as propaganda, getting the facts to people through television is more important than ever. But informative and factual documentaries are under threat around the world. To pick one country, the USA, whose democracy is under sustained attack from its government, I was dismayed to learn recently that PBS' American Experience strand announced it would be

I was struck by seeing in the Linkedin post of Naomi Sesay who recently left Channel 4 that she's involved developing the first female-led Smart City in Matamp, Sierra Leone. While the news reaction to her post seemed to focus on what she called the rebounding backlash to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives that she had worked hard for in her time at Channel 4 - and of course it was important that she spoke out about that - there was less attention on her big idea. Like a lot of freelancers, I spend most of my time looking for work and opportunities. I've been trained to 'think of programme ideas' - and that's still the dominant view of creativity. Recently I've started thinking about creative business ideas that can scale. So rather than obsessing about a single production - which is usually dependent on a single commissioner and is crazily competitive - I'm looking to draw on my knowledge and experience to think bigger. Right now I'm looking to help in the development of audi

I've come to the end of a couple of market weeks, at the UK's Sheffield Doc/Fest and France's Sunnyside of the Doc. Both full of networking opportunities, pitching, market knowledge, and panel discussions. Plus socialising over beer, wine and tea - an essential part of the business! I leave both events with a long list of to-dos, as it's all about the follow-up - you start so many conversations at a market, but what matters is how you continue them. My stack of business cards from previous markets is testimony of many leads un-followed up - now I keep an electronic record of people met and conversations started, and make sure in the days following the market to send a quick email or message. Turning a thought into an idea, then writing it up into a project and finding partners to collaborate with is a process with plenty of pitfalls, but getting the ideas out there and just putting one foot in front of the other is the only way I know of doing it. Once you have an idea in its simplest

TV, film and all kinds of AV content are firstly all about ideas development. It all starts with an idea on a page, however that idea comes about. And I'm always looking for ways to share my expertise to help for people, projects and companies reach their potential. I'll be at Sunnyside of the Doc as part of the Experts Board - available for meetings if you need guidance on how Sunnyside works, or how to approach other territories that I have experience in, or advice on a particular project . It's always good to meet new people, and the Sunnyside market makes for a relaxed environment. You never know what will come of it. Here's the link to book through the Sunnyside event and check who it's aimed at. https://www.sunnysideofthedoc.com/news/ask-the-experts-at-sunny-side-of-the-doc-2025/ Of course, I'm also available if you want to hire me for more focussed and longer advice and development help. It's tough out there and another perspective on your development slate may be useful. Make u