ALLY MACDONALD
RESEARCHER / ASSISTANT PRODUCER
E: allymacdonaldjourno@yahoo.co.uk / M: 07766 388006
www.allymacdonald-media.weebly.com
An NCTJ-trained broadcast journalist with post-graduate qualifications in science and wildlife conservation
Available for Researcher/Assistant Producer roles
Self-shooting
Directing contributors, experts and talent
Sound recording on location
Edit producing
Audio editing on Cool EditPro
Website creation and management
Trained on Canon XF305
TV scripting
Casting
Negotiating fees and permission
Managing people
Social media
1997 – 2012
TV CREDITS
Researcher
OUTLINE PRODUCTIONS
‘The Great British Wildlife Revival’ (working title), 6x60’ series on endangered British wildlife for BBC1.
To be presented by Ben Fogle, Ellie Harrison and others. Series Producer: Stephen Moss.
Researching nine species,self-shooting on reccies, casting contributors, finding locations and assisting with scripts.
Researcher / Director
BBC
‘Countryfile’. Long running wildlife, current affairs, environment, conservation series for BBC1.
Presented by John Craven, Ben Fogle, Michaela Strachan and others. Series Producer: Sarah Eglin.
Originating ideas, researching stories, casting contributors, finding locations and organising permissions. Director
credits for video diary segments (clips on my website). Self-shooting interviews and recording sound on location.
.
Researcher
BBC
'Animal Sanctuary: Iguanas', 1x60’ feature on iguanas for BBC1 shot on location in the British Virgin Islands.
Presented by John Craven. Series Producer: Sarah Eglin.
Responsible for researching and pitching ideas, setting up foreign shoot, casting and organising all locations.
Researcher
BBC
'Big Screen Britain', 9x20’ series for BBC2 visiting locations in the UK made famous in feature films.
Presented by Ben Fogle. Series Producer: Sarah Eglin.
Responsible for all research on four location shoots, casting contributors and archive clearance.
OTHER WORK
Series Producer
BBC RADIO 4
‘Living World’, Created and produced 4x30’ radio series on Stoats, Herons, Frogs and the Dart
Presented by Lionel Kelleway. Natural History Unit Editor: Julian Hector.
Estuary
Series Producer
BBC RADIO NORTHAMPTON
‘A Sense Of Place', 6x30’ radio documentary series for BBC Radio 4 featuring local people and their
community. Managing Editor: David Clargo.
News Editor
BBC RADIO NORTHAMPTON
Responsible for radio station daily news output and co-ordinating television crews, directly responsible for 20+ staff.
Programme Producer/ Reporter
`BBC RADIO NORTHAMPTON/ MERSEYSIDE/ LANCASHIRE
Produced daily Breakfast and Drivetime news shows as set-up producer and live studio producer. Co-ordinated
television coverage, produced special series of General Election programmes, a series on F1 and a wildlife series.
Wrote and read news bulletins for BBC local radio and produced packages and clips for BBC Radio 1,2,4 and 5.
Media Officer
DIABETES UK
Communications Manager
THE GORILLA ORGANIZATION
Press Officer
HEARING DOGS FOR DEAF PEOPLE
Public Relations Officer
ANIMAL DEFENDERS INTERNATIONAL
Press Officer
BUAV (British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection)
Press Officer/Journal Editor
OXFORD BROOKES UNIVERSITY (MSc Primate Conservation)
2004 – 2008
VOLUNTARY WORK
Manager
PURPLE VALLEY YOGA CENTRE (Goa)
Education/Welfare Officer
INTERNATIONAL ANIMAL RESCUE CENTRE (Goa)
Manager
YOGAPLUS (Crete)
Media/Education Manager
SANAGA YONG CHIMPANZEE RESCUE CENTRE (Cameroon)
Media/Education Manager
GIBBON REHABILITATION PROJECT/WILDLIFE FRIENDS (Thailand)
Media/Education Officer
NGAMBA ISLAND CHIMPANZEE SANCTUARY (Uganda)
Media/Education Officer
MILLENNIUM ELEPHANT FOUNDATION (Sri Lanka)
TRAINING
2012
2012
2012
1997 – 2004
Self-Shooting and Directing with the Canon XF305 DV Talent, two day course.
Research and Production for Wildlife Documentaries Wildeye, weekend course.
Safeguarding Factual tv (v2). Natural History Programmes (v1). BBC Safeguarding Trust.
DV Camera Workshop, Television Audio Recording, Documentary Making, News Values,
Media Law, Writing Skills, Radio Production, Health & Safety. BBC in-house training.
EDUCATION
2005 – 2006
1991 – 2001
1996 – 1997
1992 – 1995
1990 – 1992
MSc in Primate Conservation, Oxford Brookes University.
MSc in Forensic and Legal Psychology, University of Leicester.
NCTJ Post-graduate diploma Broadcast Journalism, University of Central Lancashire.
BA (Hons) 2:1 Communication Information Media and English, Lancaster University.
A-Levels in English, Media Studies and French, Halesowen College.
REFEREES
Stephen Moss, Series Producer, Outline Productions. stephen@outlineproductions.co.uk
Sarah Eglin, Executive Producer, Maverick TV. s.eglin@mavericktv.co.uk
Julian Hector, Head of BBC Natural History Radio Unit. Julian.Hector@bbc.co.uk
OTHER
Full, clean driving licence
British passport