Media Life CV
ALI RAY
Freelancer director, writer and development producer. TV, film, and print media. Arts, history, food and travel are key subject areas. I make long-form docs with archive, interviews, and international locations. Have directed presenter-led and format series.
Most recent screen credit is as director/writer of a 90-minute arts documentary for cinema 'KLIMT & THE KISS' My previous 90' doc films for cinema are on the life and work of FRIDA KAHLO and also MARY CASSATT for the Exhibition on Screen series. All have been well-reviewed worldwide.
I write a lot of factual content, mostly about travel, food, and people.. I'm a magazine columnist, I've written three (published) travel and food books and have credits in The Guardian, Sunday Telegraph and a selection of magazines. I also write scripts for commercial and corporate clients.
Sixteen years of working in television as a developer, producer, and director across subjects such as art history, sweets, property, sex and business. I'm never short of a topic to write about.
I'm looking for mid-short-term contracts, with an element of remote working. I love edit producing and getting stuck into a challenge.
Experience
2023
Director/Writer, Exhibition on Screen, Seventh Art Productions
Klimt & The Kiss
90’ documentary feature for cinema with archive, location filming and interview. Filmed in Vienna.
September 2021 – May 2022
Director /Writer, Seventh Art Productions, Brighton
Mary Cassatt – Painting the Modern Woman
90’ documentary feature for cinema involving archive, location filming and interview. Filmed in Paris, London, Washington, Philadelphia.
September 2020 - present
Freelance script writer for a corporate HR animation project. Working with Refocus Communications for an international pharmaceutical company.
Freelance writer of food and travel articles for Camping and Caravanning Club magazine.
January/Feb 2021
Freelance travel writer for Culture Trip
Writing content for this international travel website.
September 2019 - September 2020
Director /Writer, Seventh Art Productions, Brighton
Frida Kahlo
This well received 90' documentary for cinema involved archive, location and interview. Filmed in Mexico, UK and US. Released worldwide
2008 - present
Freelance writer focusing on travel and British outdoor lifestyles and food. Written three non-fiction books, published by AA Media and Quintet Publishing: Pitch Up Eat Local, The PIcnic Book, 500 Camping Recipes. I have been a magazine columnist for 12 years on my column Eat Local featuring local and British food producers stories as well as stories about the UK’s food and farming industry in general. Other clients include The Guardian, Telegraph, Camping and Caravanning Magazine, Culture Trip.
March 2006 - July 2008
Development Producer Touch Productions, Bath
I worked part-time at Touch Productions assisting in widening their core programming areas and raise their profile in lifestyle formats, popular features and factual entertainment. This involves writing and developing ideas and pitching them to the commissioning editors at the major channels, planning strategies for the development team and securing funding for development from the broadcasters
Maternity Leave
November 2004 - August 2005
Development Producer (see above)
January 2007 - April 2009
Mentor/ Trainer South West Screen
Over this period I gave support and advice to four production trainees working in media companies across the region. I also devised and delivered four training days on practical and theoretical production and development topics.
July/August 2004 Seventh Art Productions, Brighton Consultant/Producer Judgement Day - Heaven, Hell and Purgatory in Art (3 x 30', Channel 5, UK) This was a short-term consultancy role giving guidance to a new director, script editing and managing the setting up of the international shoots and liaising with presenter Tim Marlow.
March 2004 - July 2004 Ricochet South, Brighton
Producer 20 Ways ..to Make Money on Your Property & 20 Ways to Lose Money on Your Property (2 x 50', Channel 5, UK)
I produced the content for this prime-time format show. These presenter-led interior design and property programmes included celebrity interviews and quirky spin-off 'features'. I managed a team of AP's and researchers to find contributors, stories and locations and co-wrote the scripts.
August 2003 - March 2004 Ricochet South, Brighton, UK Producer Selling Houses - series 3 (13 x 24 mins, Channel 4, UK) As producer on this prime time, factual entertainment format series I led a large team of researchers to find stories and contributors for the show. My role included developing storylines, some script writing and producing the content for presenter-led 'information inserts' within each programme. I also directed parts of the series.
May 2003 - July 2003 Ricochet South, Brighton, UK
Associate Producer Risking it All (5x50'for Channel 4, UK)
My role was to lead a team of researchers and cast the stories for this fly-on-the-wall documentary following a year in the life of people setting up their first business April 2002 - March 2003 I spent 11 months touring Australia in my campervan. In the course of my travels I worked as 1st AD on an award-winning short fiction film and completed a research project on the Australian documentary film industry for Seventh Art Productions. This included meeting and pitching to the documentary department of the ABC network.
October 2001 - March 2002 Ricochet South, Brighton, UK Director/Producer More..Sex Tips for Girls (6 x 24' for Channel 4, UK)
I directed two of these six programmes - the series drew in 4million+ viewers. This hybrid of entertainment and education programming required extremely sensitive handling of the subject to achieve candid revelations from contributors. My role also involved an intensive period of 'people-finding'. Filmed DV sequences.
2001 Seventh Art Productions, Brighton, UK
Director/Writer The Great Artists (14 x 23' for Channel 5/International Video market) These presenter-led art biographies on various artists such as Da Vinci, Vermeer and Van Gogh were shot on location in 10 countries. I led a large production team and film crew, working around a long and complicated schedule and to tight deadlines.
2001 Seventh Art Productions, Brighton, UK
Assistant Producer The Venice Biennale 2001 (1x24' for Channel 5, UK and International Broadcasters)
A one-off report on the highlights of the international arts festival. I directed/produced the post-production.
2000 Seventh Art Productions, Brighton, UK
Director/Producer Sweet Tooth (8 x 10' series for Channel 4, UK) This light-hearted cultural history of sweets and chocolate in Britain made use of interview, archive and location filming. This was an autonomous role involving considerable historical research, sourcing the characters for interview and finding filming locations.
1999 Seventh Art Productions, Brighton, UK
Director/Producer High Five (4 x 23' for Channel 5, UK) I directed this presenter-led art series featured the top five most popular works of art in the nation's galleries. This was my original idea, I developed the content and co-wrote the scripts.
1998 Seventh Art Productions, Brighton, UK
Writer and Co-Director The Impressionists (8 x 23' art series for Channel 5 & International Broadcasters) This fine art series, presented by Tim Marlow was highly commended in the ITC report of 1998.
Oct 1998 - Dec 2000 Seventh Art Productions, Brighton, UK Senior Development Producer
I managed development at Seventh Art. I generated many new ideas and commissioned the research and writing of proposals and pitched to commissioning editors. I was instrumental in widening the company's key programming areas to include arts programming - now a primary part of the company's output.
In addition to the above I researched and worked on many other Seventh Art series which I have listed in brief below. More details available on request.
Development Researcher The Lost Temple of Java - Timewatch 1 x 50'for BBC1 Researched and wrote proposal that won the commission for this Timewatch programme about the Temple of Borobudur in Java.
Production Assistant Ancient Inventions with Terry Jones - 3 x 50' for Discovery US Quirky ancient history series.
Production Assistant I, Caesar - 6 x 50' for BBC 1 A series of biographies of Roman emperors. Included dramatic reconstructions.
Researcher Dollywood..or Bust 1 x 50' Channel 5 Tim Marlow presents a tour of Dolly Parton's themepark in Tennessee.
Researcher /Production Assistant Soak it Up 8 x 10' Channel 4 A series of entertaining short films about education classes in pubs - for Channel 4's Adult Education Week.
Researcher The Hotel 4 x 25' Meridian Fly-on-the-wall documentary following staff at The Grand Hotel in Brighton
Researcher/Production Assistant 24 Hours ...at The Alex 1 x 25' Meridian Observational documentary on local children's hospital. We won an RTS award for Best Regional Programme
Researcher/Production Assistant Out and About 6 x 10' BBC South Light hearted series on leisure activities in the region.
Researcher/Production Assistant True but Strange 4 x 25' Meridian Lots of people finding involved in this teatime series about folk in the region with unusual hobbies and past times.
EDUCATION Goldsmith University & University of Sussex, Communications Degree
C O N T A C T
07771998373
see exhibitiononscreen.com for films
Caslte Cary, Somerset
E D u c a t i o n
UNIVERSITY OF SUSSEX
Goldsmiths COLLEGE, London