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Tell us a little about yourself.

I started at the ̽»¨ÊÓƵ in the Autumn of 2023 but before that I was parachuted in for specialist days as Professor of Practice with Wildlife Media and Film and TV. Passing on my experiences of working within industry is something I’ve loved doing for a long time - I also run the Adventure Filmmakers’ Workshop in Canada and have done for 17 years so joining the University seemed an obvious move. 

Let us know more about your industry/practice background.

I started my professional life when I joined the BBC as a trainee straight from school. After 6 years I resigned from my job in pursuit of a dream. Mixing adventure, wildlife and filmmaking was where I saw my future and it took that huge leap of faith and a lot of patience to turn those dreams into reality. Since then, during my freelance career of over 35 years, I have been involved in over 80 major film projects on all seven continents and to some of the world’s most spectacular and challenging environments. Many of the projects in which I’ve been involved have been ‘world-firsts’.

What research area do you specialise in?

As a keen mountaineer and adventurer, I’ve specialised in extreme location filmmaking for a long time and have taken that highly specialised skill set into wildlife film shoots for the likes of the BBC, Netflix and Disney/National Geographic. The stories from dozens of these wild shoots are endless and the projects have been recognised internationally with a number of personal industry awards including an EMMY for Cinematography, the Royal Television Society's Camera Craft Award and the Guild of Television Camera Professionals Award for Excellence among others. I could add that operating a camera at 29,000 feet was challenging.

What modules do you teach and what is your favourite part of these?

I teach the Media Skills module as well as Documentary and Natural History Filmmaking modules through all 3 years of the course. I love seeing the students turning their project ideas into reality in whatever medium they choose - be it film, photography, the written word or a mix.

What makes your course different?

The Wildlife Media Course is primarily based around industry and what is expected of you both from a filmmaking and photography viewpoint and from a professional viewpoint. As such we try to pack-in as much hands-on sessions as possible.  We also try to get out as much as possible!

What advice would you give to students considering studying on this course?

I think it’s important to bring with you a whole heap of enthusiasm. Learning the skills requires dedication and practice. Also, be open to understanding what’s expected of you in a professional context. The industry expects a lot of those who enter it and rewards those who go more than the extra mile. Oh, and bring a sense of humour too!

What’s your favourite thing about teaching at Cumbria?

The things I enjoy most about teaching at Cumbria are watching the students develop, not only in the core skills vital within wildlife media and also the of fun we have together.

And, finally…

Tell us an interesting fact about yourself?

I was a DJ for many years and started doing my first gigs at the age of 14 and eventually held a residency at small nightclub close to where I grew up!