Meet the bosses Panel
Ric Bailey, Chief Adviser, Politics, BBC
Ric Bailey is the BBC's Chief Adviser, Politics, taking up the post in Editorial Policy in September 2006.
He joined the BBC in 1982, working first in local radio, mainly at Radio Stoke as a reporter, producer and
news editor, winning a Sony Gold award for coverage of the miners' strike. In 1985, Ric moved to BBC
Westminster as a regional Parliamentary reporter for local radio and regional TV.
Two years later, he became a Parliamentary Correspondent, presenting Yesterday In Parliament and other
political output on radio. In 1990 he became a network Political Correspondent for BBC TV and Radio. Ric
Bailey was appointed Editor of Political Newsgathering in 1995, leading the team of BBC Political
Correspondents and newsgatherers at Westminster. Between 2000 and 2006, he was Deputy Head of
Political Programmes, with responsibility for Question Time, for which he was the BBC's Executive Editor.
Tessa Kaday, Senior Product Manager - Video, Reuters News Agency
Tessa spent 14 years as a television journalist with Reuters, one the world’s largest news agencies. She
began her career as a field producer, covering everything from the first Afghan elections and the Southeast
Asian tsunami, to the Cannes Film Festival and 2012 London Olympics. Later she ran the company’s live
video services – delivering thousands of hours of live news coverage a year to the world’s leading
broadcasters and digital publishers. Now she helps design and build the agency’s platforms and products,
with a passion for helping media companies young and old navigate a fast-evolving news landscape.
Declan Wilson, BBC North of England Network Bureau Editor
Declan Wilson runs the network newsgathering teams across the north of England, working with national
and regional BBC News colleagues to deliver the best content for Network TV, Radio and Digital. He has
helped deliver some of the biggest headline news stories in the UK in the last ten years such as the
Whitehaven shootings, the search for Shannon Matthews, the floods of 2015, the murder of MP Jo Cox and
the M62 police shooting. Worked in newspapers after A-Levels, Mirror Group, Guardian Newspaper group.
Mid 90s joined as a reporter/producer Channel One Television, Liverpool1998 Joined BBC News 24 as TV
producer.1999 - 2007 - BBC News as a field producer, UK and Foreign. 2008 – present - North of England
Bureau Editor managing teams of correspondents, producers, camera-editors and satellite newsgathering
crews.
Richard Frediani, Senior Programme Editor, ITV News for ITN
A journalist for more than 25 years Richard is currently the main Programme Editor for Britain’s most
watched daily news programme on commercial TV. The ITV Evening News is watched by an average 3.5
million every night. Richard started in local radio as a reporter before moving to network radio and TV.
Highlights include covering the Iraq War in 2003, the World Cup in 2002 and winning BAFTAs in 2007 and
2014.
Dan Isaacs, Chief Operating Officer, Sister Pictures
Prior to joining Sister Pictures in June 2016, Dan spent 13 years at independent production company
Kudos latterly as their CEO. He looks after all the production, finance, commercial, legal and operational
bits of Sister Pictures. Dan has a particular expertise in financing high end television and international coproductions, including: Humans (C4/AMC), River (BBC1/Netflix), Grantchester (ITV/Masterpiece), Flowers
(C4 / Seeso), Broadchurch (ITV/BBC America), The Tunnel (Sky Atlantic/Canal plus France), Hunted
(BBC/Cinemax), and Tsunami The Aftermath (BBC/HBO).
Sister Pictures upcoming productions include Broadchurch season 3 (ITV), Flowers season 2 (C4/Seeso),
The Bisexual (C4), and Abi Morgan’s The Split (BBC1).Dan is an elected member of BAFTA’s Television
committee. Before he started in television Dan worked as a Dentist and as an actor.
Journalism Panel
Richard Main, Producer at BBC Breakfast
I am part of the team behind the UK's most watched Breakfast TV show, based in MediaCity, Salford.
Before this I could be heard reading the news for BBC London 94.9 as well as producing and reporting
across the output.I'm an experienced producer, reporter and newsreader, comfortable working on a range
of radio output. I've also been at the forefront of 'tri-media' reporting: filing voice pieces for radio, writing
copy for online & social media, as well as shooting video for TV.
I have worked for BBC local radio stations in Suffolk, Norfolk, Leicester, Leeds, Sussex, Surrey and Kent.
I've also spent time working for commercial radio stations in East Anglia and Hampshire
Rebecca Lomas, News Bulletin Editor on Radio Aire and Viking FM for Bauer
After studying Broadcast Journalism and doing a number of placements during my degree, I freelanced for
6 months and then got a job as breakfast news journalist at Minster FM in York, covering all of North
Yorkshire. I stayed there for 2 years and then moved on to Bauer, where I am currently a bulletin editor,
reading the news for Radio Aire and Viking FM at breakfast.
My day to day activities include reacting to any breaking news, making sure we are up to date online and
planning all the stories for reporters to go out on.
Anthony Day, Presenter, Producer and Reporter, BBC Newcastle
In the three years since graduating from the University of Leeds I’ve worked for several BBC local radio
stations at Leeds, York and Newcastle. As well as working as a day reporter, I’ve also worked as an early
radio car reporter for 2 years and also regularly produce and present our early breakfast and drive
programmes.
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Having covered several national stories, I’ve also provided content for both BBC 5Live and BBC Radio 4 as
well as for the BBC News Channel and Online.
Calum McKenzie,BBC News Online
Having graduated from the University of Leeds in July 2013, I worked for a period in local commercial radio
with Yorkshire Radio. Following the closure of that station, I spent two years with BBC Radio Lincolnshire
presenting programmes, reading news bulletins and producing programmes. I now work for the BBC News
website in the East Midlands covering Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.
The biggest story I’ve covered in my current role was Leicester City’s Premier League win in May 2016,
writing numerous live pages and features. I have also worked on a freelance basis for the Yorkshire Post
and The Rugby Paper.
Richard Frediani, Senior Programme Editor, ITV News for ITN
A journalist for more than 25 years Richard is currently the main Programme Editor for Britain’s most
watched daily news programme on commercial TV. The ITV Evening News is watched by an average 3.5
million every night. Richard started in local radio as a reporter before moving to network radio and TV.
Highlights include covering the Iraq War in 2003, the World Cup in 2002 and winning BAFTAs in 2007 and
2014.
Film/Light Entertainment Panel
Dan Isaacs, Chief Operating Officer, Sister Pictures
Prior to joining Sister Pictures in June 2016, Dan spent 13 years at independent production company
Kudos latterly as their CEO. He looks after all the production, finance, commercial, legal and operational
bits of Sister Pictures. Dan has a particular expertise in financing high end television and international coproductions, including: Humans (C4/AMC), River (BBC1/Netflix), Grantchester (ITV/Masterpiece), Flowers
(C4 / Seeso), Broadchurch (ITV/BBC America), The Tunnel (Sky Atlantic/Canal Plus France), Hunted
(BBC/Cinemax), and Tsunami The Aftermath (BBC/HBO). Sister Pictures upcoming productions include
Broadchurch season 3 (ITV), Flowers season 2 (C4/Seeso), The Bisexual (C4), and Abi Morgan’s The Split
(BBC1).Dan is an elected member of BAFTA’s Television committee. Before he started in television Dan
worked as a Dentist and as an actor.
Alex Smith, Lionsgate Films
David Anthony Thomas, Freelance writer, director and producer
An actor for 10 years in theatre, film and television with the RSC and BBC among others, David founded
his first production company as a student at the University of Leeds, designed to produce professional
quality student work with mixed crews of students and industry professionals. This culminated in a short
film called Solitary Trees, about the role the press barons played in securing Winston Churchill the seat of
wartime Prime Minister during the 1940 War Cabinet Crisis. Since graduating he has been producing The
Brontes, the world’s first big-budget biopic of author Charlotte Bronte as well as directing a new French
language short film adapting the Marquis De Sade’s 120 Days of Sodom as part of a broader series of
upcoming arthouse work.
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Joe Mason, Researcher, CBBC
After graduating from Broadcast Journalism at Leeds in 2014, Joe became a freelance presenter for the
national children's radio station, Fun Kids, whilst also securing a work experience placement in TV
production with BBC Children's based at MediaCityUK. He was subsequently offered the Unit Runner role
for CBBC in Salford, working on factual entertainment programmes including Newsround and Blue Peter.
Following stints as a production runner on The Dengineers, CBBC Presentation & the Blue Peter Studio
Team where he was responsible for coaching a presenter to break the Guinness World Record for sitting
on the highest number of whoopee cushions in 60 seconds, Joe stepped up to be a researcher for BBC
Children's in Glasgow. At the beginning of 2017, he returned to Salford as a researcher with CBBC whilst
also working as a freelance presenter for live events and online video projects.
Callum Hawes, Talent Co-ordinator for BBC Children’s –
Responsible the sourcing, contracting, and development of Production staff across CBBC In-House
Productions (including Blue Peter & Newsround), Presentation, and CBBC Drama. I am also responsible
for co-ordinating all Work Experience across BBC Children's; including CBBC and CBeebies, and
processing of all DBS checks across BBC Children's, Salford.
Rebekah Davies, Production Cordinator, CBBC
Documentary Panel
Jessica Bland, Researcher, Television Production (factual-entertainment), Nine Lives Media
I’m Jessie, I’m 24 years old and I’m a researcher for a television production company called Nine Lives. I
graduated from the Broadcast Journalism course at Leeds in 2015 having also done a study abroad year in
America as part of my degree. I then started working as a multimedia content producer for Premier
Christian Media, one of the largest religious broadcasters in the UK. After a brief spell as a freelance
videographer, I then got my break in television and started as a researcher with Nine Lives, a production
company based in Manchester which specialises in factual entertainment.
Rebecca Hodgson, Senior Manager, Post Production and Studio, Viacom
Production Technology Professional with a background in TV Production. 3 years as Head of Post and
Studios, supporting MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and C5 productions. Prior to that, clients included
Disney, Al Jazeera, CiTV, CBBC, Cartoon Network and RTE amongst others, Series and Edit Producing.
Diane Myers, Producer, Daisybeck Studios
Television producers are privileged to be able to access worlds which few members of the public have the
opportunity to explore, but acquiring the skills to do so takes time and practice. Producer/director Diane
Myers has spent more than 25 years specialising in in access-driven documentaries. Her recent credits
include Body Donors, which won the Royal Television Society Award for Best Factual Series and Channel
5’s top-rated programme, The Yorkshire Vet.
Ellie Main, Journalist, BBC Children in Need
Whilst I have predominantly spent my time after university working for the BBC in various capacities, I have
also worked in Events for the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) and for the Metropolitan police as a
Communications Officer (999/101 call operator). Certainly an unorthodox career path but one which gave
me the experience I needed to do my current role with the BBC’s charity; BBC Children in Need. I am
responsible for sourcing content from our funded projects for a whole range of BBC platforms, including our
headline appeal films, as well as co-ordinating large scale projects such as The One Show’s Rickshaw
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Challenge. This means that I have cultivated & nurtured relationships across BBC programme teams from
local radio to network TV as well within in the charity sector.
Jamie Morton, digital director/editor/writer
I’m a digital director/editor/writer and have worked on numerous projects for broadcasters
like VICE, Channel 4, The BBC and was the Digital Producer on The X Factor for 2 years.
Most recently I've written The Apprentice: Honest Subtitles on iPlayer. I’m also a corporate director for
brands such as Samsung, EasyJet and the Walt Disney Company - having directed promos for Disneyland
Paris, Disney Cruise Line and Walt Disney World for the past 8 years. In 2015 I created the podcast My
Dad Wrote A Porno with two friends James Cooper and Radio 1 DJ Alice Levine (we actually all met at
Leeds uni along with Alex). If you haven’t heard of it, basically my dad wrote a terrible erotic novel in his
60s and I read it out a chapter a week as James and Alice critique. Here's a link to the
show:https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/my-dad-wrote-a-porno/id1044196249?mt=2
It’s been a bit of a runaway success with over 30 million downloads worldwide and guest stars including
Elijah Wood, Daisy Ridley (from Star Wars) and Michael Sheen.Last year we wrote a bestselling book
based on the show and have just wrapped a TV pilot adaptation for a major broadcaster. We’ve also
performed sell out live shows around the country and are embarking on our Australian/New Zealand tour
later this year (including playing the Sydney Opera House). We released a one off Christmas special in
December and much to our astonishment it peaked at number 2 in the UK Album chart. We’re also in the
very early but exciting stages of developing a film script with one of the UK’s leading production
companies.
Sport Panel
David Easson, Lecturer in Broadcast Journalism, University of Leeds
In 15 years of radio news and sport, David has reported on football from the delights of League Two to the
World Cup in Brazil. He has reported for Sky and IRN and has recently returned to football commentary in
the Premier League with Hull and Stoke, while also appearing on Talksport. David is now the veteran of
three Olympic Games where he produced TV features for OBS and was lead interviewer at the Velodrome
in London, Ice Hockey in Sochi and – glamorously – the Table Tennis in Rio.
He also teaches on the Broadcast Journalism degree course here at Leeds.
Shelley Alexander, Editorial Lead for Women’s Sport, BBC Sport
Shelley Alexander is an award winning journalist and the Editorial Lead for Women's Sport at the BBC. She
was previously programme editor for BBC1's Football Focus and sports news editor on BBC Radio 5 live.
Shelley chairs Kick It Out's Mentoring Development Committee and is also a member of the FA's Inclusion
Advisory Board and the FA Women's Football Board. Shelley sits on the Premier League/PFA Community
Fund panel where she champions the inclusion of women and girls in funding applications. Shelley is the
vice-chair of Women in Football, a support network for women in the football industry.
Thomas Webb, Associate Editor, Bleacher Report UK
After graduating from Leeds in the summer of 2014, my first real opportunity in sports media came as a
freelance social media producer with BT Sport in November that year. I worked there for around seven
months on a freelance, part-time basis before accepting a three-month social media internship with
Bleacher Report UK in the summer of 2015.Following the culmination of my internship I freelanced with BR
for a further nine months before accepting a full-time position as an Associate Editor in July 2016. My role
involves running BR UK’s social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat), posting
regularly in the form of news, match reaction etc. as well as coming up with original social ideas to make
our platforms the best destination for digital sports content
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Michael Wood, Freelance Broadcast Journalist and Content Producer, William Hill
Having graduated from the Broadcast Journalism course in July 2013, I undertook a number of internships
as a trainee reporter with radio stations in Yorkshire such as Pulse 1. This led to paid work with those
stations, mostly as a reporter and newsreader. I now work as a freelance journalist, producer and
broadcaster, working predominately for William Hill. My role involves creating and producing content for the
company's online and radio output, as well as working as a betting pundit. I have also previously worked
for BBC Radio Leeds as a freelance producer for their sports programmes.
PR Panel
Jake Setterfield,Account Manager, Acceleris
Ben Solly, Marketing and Communications Officer, South Yorkshire Housing
Aron Jheeta, Marketing Account Manager at JC Social Media
I promise, I don’t just sit on Facebook and Twitter all day! As a Marketing Account Manager for JC Social
Media, I’m responsible for the social media activity of business with total followers of nearly 100k. My job is
all about keeping my clients happy, making sure they meet their marketing briefs and ensuring the content I
write is suitable for their business. Having graduated with a degree in Broadcast Journalism in July 2015,
I’d have never thought I’d have been doing this. Sometimes you just have to take the plunge and go into
something different. Luckily, I got hired by a great company!
Emma Blaken, Marketing Executive, DE22 Creative Design Solutions
After graduating in 2016 with a degree in Broadcast Journalism, and dabbling with a marketing role with
Leeds Student Television (I hope you are all a member!), I became really interested in the creative side of
communication. Digital marketing and social media quickly became the clear choice. I now work for a
regional design agency in Derby, working with a range of high profile clients on marketing strategies
involving social media, email marketing, through to branding guidelines and design. Account management
and client management are a priceless skill, too. The fast-pace of working in an agency is a buzz, it
certainly keeps you on your toes!
James Story, Senior Content Specialist, Search Laboratory
After graduating in 2012, I gained a position in SEO and digital marketing that lets me create
content for clients from all over the world. From holiday graphics and clothing guides to IT
whitepapers and collaborative art projects, my job is to find out what gets people talking online and
create it. Being hired for my freelance work and activity with numerous LUU societies, my role has
provided me with great opportunities for personal and professional growth. One of my projects was
even nominated for awards from the UK Search Awards and the Chartered Institute of Public
Relations.
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Third Sector/Government Panel
Darell Carey, Senior Communications Officer in Parliament
Darell Carey is a senior communications officer in Parliament, working to promote the multi-billion pound
project to renovate the historic Houses of Parliament. Prior to that he worked in the House of Lords press
office for three and a half years, and before that for an inner London local authority. Both roles involve,
among other things, holding press conferences, arranging photo-shoots, using social media channels, and
managing and overseeing journalist reports, both live and recorded. Prior to that he was a journalist at the
BBC, working as a reporter and producer in local radio and regional TV in the East of England.
Joe Downie, Social Media Manager, Water Aid
After graduating from Leeds with a first in Communications, I worked for a year in Cambridge as Box Office
assistant before moving to London in 1999 to work at the BBC. My first job there was listings writer, then I
moved on to chatroom moderator, editorial assistant and eventually digital producer/editor, working on live
chats, BBC News Online and BBC Three News. In 2006 I took voluntary redundancy and moved to Water
Aid, first as a website editor, then websites manager, and finally to my current role, Social Media Manager.
Outside of work I am into cycling, gigs, music and activism.
Sophie Malendewicz, Fastreamer, Fastrack Civil Service
Digital Panel
Ashley Davies, Wed Developer, Mixd
I am a 23-year-old web developer from Huddersfield, currently employed by Mixd, a web design studio
situated in Harrogate, as part of their Front-end Web Development team. After studying ICT for 2 years at
the University of Huddersfield I adopted a keen passion for programming and since graduating I have been
working within the industry for 3 years. I specialise primarily in WordPress theme development but I’ve
been known to dabble in PHP application development and web hosting management. In my spare time, I
enjoy working on my own side-projects as well as trying out new emerging technologies within the
web industry.
Rowan Collinson, Senior Digital Content Producer – BBC Radio 2 & BBC Radio 6 Music
Rowan is Senior Digital Producer at BBC Radio 2 and 6 Music leading social media and multiplatform
content production across both brands. He started his career running LSRfm at Leeds University, before
working in independent radio production making programmes for commercial and BBC radio with
presenters including Lauren Laverne and Dave Pearce.
Rowan won the Sony Radio Academy Gold Award for 'Best Use Of Multi-Platform' two years running in
2012 and 2013 for his work on Now Playing @6Music and Radio 1's Review Show and since joining the
BBC in 2013 has been responsible driving record reach to 6 Music and Radio 2’s websites, creating new
formats and campaigns for social media and helping develop Radio 2's flagship multiplatform music
property Sounds Of The 80s.
Ralitsa Padalska, Account Manager, Hubnet
Having worked in fundraising and the higher education sector, Ralitsa is currently an account manager at a
software start up in London. She manages customers and accounts in the not for profit and commercial
sectors to ensure they have an excellent experience using Hubbub’s technology.
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Warra Spraggon, Digital Accounts Manager, MEC Global
With a Masters in Communication, specializing in Film Production & Screenwriting, Warra started working
in free-lance and contracted work for a digital video production house growing a telecommunications
companies digital presence. Warra moved into a creative agency producing TV commercials and found his
interest in the strategy and planning behind this. Now Warra has worked in Digital planning, buying and
reporting at MEC for the past 3 years.
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