People - Nature - AdventureI am a creative, personable and resourceful Series Director, Presenter & Environmentalist specialising in purposeful documentaries about inspirational people, the natural world and adventure.I cut my teeth in documentaries filming wild tigers in India and hunting down pirates off the coast of West Africa and since the... Read More

People - Nature - AdventureI am a creative, personable and resourceful Series Director, Presenter & Environmentalist specialising in purposeful documentaries about inspirational people, the natural world and adventure.I cut my teeth in documentaries filming wild tigers in India and hunting down pirates off the coast of West Africa and since then I've come to specialise in producing programs for both UK and US broadcasters in some the most remote and challenging environments on the planet.As a Series Producer I have crafted series editorial, managed big teams on location, scheduled shoots and tactfully produced tricky talent. However, I'm a self-shooting filmmaker and adventurer at heart and prefer working 'lean and mean' with minimal crew in a way that allows authentic action to flow and brings the best out of potentially camera-shy contributors. I find this dynamic and quick to adapt approach, combined with soft but assured storytelling direction, delivers really visceral and engaging television.My total commitment to the story often requires me to embed with local characters in extreme circumstances. Time after time I have been fortunate enough to gain privileged access to extraordinary stories and the honesty and authenticity of this immersive style never fails to deliver meaningful and emotive films.When directing I take most of my films from their conception all the way through to completion – researching, prepping, producing, shooting, editing and writing – though I am also happy parachuting straight onto location as well.For the 8 part series 'Hurricane Man' (BBC Worldwide and UKTV) I embedded with local people trapped in the path of major hurricanes revealing not only the terrifying power of Nature's most deadly storms but telling for the first time the story of what it takes to live through them. I've directed specialist factual commissions for National Geographic revealing the hitherto undiscovered scale of the Maya civilisation deep in the Guatemalan jungle, as well as following a new generation of Egyptian archaeologists unearthing a secret underworld of mummies buried deep under the Sahara sands.I speak conversational Italian, French and Spanish – I have two passports and a valid iVisa for the USA.Examples of my work can be found at - www.jamesmlevelle.com Read Less