Our origin story.

In 1997, Michael left his staff role at London Tonight to become a freelance camera operator and editor. Initially, he worked in news for various UK, US, and European broadcasters but quickly transitioned to factual TV.  Over the years, he has worked on a diverse range of shows for UK and international broadcasters. His credits include a wide range of documentaries, current affairs shows such as ITV’s Tonight, Panorama and Dispatches, as well as more entertainment based shows like Cash in the Attic, Scrapheap and Don’t Tell the Bride.

In 2001, a client asked Michael to produce a film for a meeting in the Houses of Parliament. However, there was a catch: the entire project had to be filmed and edited on the day of the event, and be shown to a meeting of MP’s that was starting at 11 a.m. For someone raised in the news industry, tight deadlines were nothing new.

As an early adopter of new technology, Michael and his team utilised the relatively new Final Cut Pro and a laptop to edit the material on the go. The first shoot began at 7 a.m. in central London, followed by visits to two additional locations. At 9:30 a.m., they started editing, and by 11 a.m., they played the tape out to the waiting crowd.

Since then, between his work as the Director of Photography, shooting award-winning documentaries, Michael has also produced and directed content for various clients. They have come to recognise his dedication to quality and his ability to effectively and cost-effectively tell stories. 

That naturally led to him being asked to assist in producing several projects. One of his distinctive skills is assembling the ideal team with the necessary expertise to ensure the production’s success while adhering to budget constraints.

In September 2020, Michael was asked by Zest 4 TV to help produce content for Adobe’s online conference, Adobe Max. This event was being held virtually due to the ongoing pandemic. Over the course of the next two years, Department 43 Media Ltd provided crews across the UK, EU, and US, including producers, directors, DP’s, camera crews, sound crews, set designers, and makeup artists. These crews filmed with a diverse range of presenters and interviewees, such as Riz Ahmed, Gillan Anderson, Vivian Westwood, and Tilda Swinton.