Development.
Research.
Story.
I work across the early stages of factual and documentary storytelling — helping ideas become researched, structured and developable stories.
Good development begins before the pitch deck.
It starts with a question, a lead, a character, an archive or a story that does not quite make sense yet.
I can support producers, development teams, filmmakers and independent creators across research, story development, contributors, access and development materials.
Where I can
contribute.
Story Development
Developing factual and documentary ideas
from an initial question or premise into a
stronger story proposition.
This can involve identifying the central
question, finding the human story, testing
the editorial direction and exploring what
makes an idea distinctive and achievable.
Editorial Research
Researching the context, history, institutions,
people and competing perspectives surrounding
a story.
Particularly useful at the early development
stage, when a producer needs to understand
whether an idea has enough depth to pursue.
Investigative Research
Structured research into questions,
claims, events, organisations and individuals
where the available story may require deeper
investigation.
The emphasis is on building a reliable
research base and identifying lines of
enquiry worth developing.
Archive Research
Exploring existing photographs, footage,
documents, publications and other archival
material that can establish context,
reveal characters or strengthen a narrative.
Archive research can also help identify
previously overlooked material and
alternative ways into a story.
Contributor Casting
Identifying potential contributors whose
experiences, expertise or access can provide
the human dimension of a factual story.
This includes background research,
initial outreach and assessing potential
contributors against the editorial needs
of the project.
Access & Contributors
Researching and developing potential access
to people, organisations, locations and
communities relevant to a documentary or
factual project.
The objective is to understand not only
whether access is possible, but what story
access could potentially unlock.
Pitch Decks & Treatments
Turning research and editorial thinking
into clear development materials for
producers, production companies and
potential commissioners.
This can include loglines, synopses,
story structure, contributor profiles,
visual direction and research-led pitch
materials.
Fact Verification
Checking factual claims, names, dates,
statistics, quotations and supporting
information during development and
production preparation.
The aim is to identify inconsistencies
early and establish a stronger factual
foundation for the project.
Development Packages
Bringing research, editorial direction,
contributors and story material together
into a coherent development package.
This can be useful when an idea has potential
but needs further research and structure before
it is ready to be presented to producers,
partners or commissioners.
From the first
question to
the next step.
How I approach
a story.
Start with
curiosity.
What is interesting here? What is missing from the obvious version of the story?
Follow the
evidence.
Research the people, institutions, history, archive and context that surround the central question.
Find the
human story.
Understand who can carry the story, what access is possible and what makes the project worth pursuing.
From an idea
to something
worth pitching.
For projects that need more than individual
research tasks, I can bring the different
elements of early development together into
a structured package.
The exact scope can be shaped around the
project and its stage of development.
Have an idea
worth exploring?
If you are developing a documentary, factual series or story-led project, I would be happy to discuss where research and development could help.
Get in Touch →