Specials

Specials and seasons are where expertise in multiplatform content comes into its own. Which approaches best suit which platform? Each of the following specials span off a central hub, with specially tailored content for other outlets – TV documentary, TV packages, social media nibbles, podcast episodes, website explainers.

Due to the tailored and atomised nature of that output, it’s difficult to replicate here the full depth and breadth of content – and certainly to house that all on one website. Therefore, the headers below will link off to those bespoke hubs – often on the Shorthand multimedia platform.

Battle for the Bears

When a rewilded bear killed a jogger in Italy, it sparked a fierce debate about biodiversity in the modern world. I went to the Dolomites with Presenter: Johannes Pleschberger to gather a huge variety of content for various platforms. Made possible with help from writer Gary Parkinson, branding and animation expert James Sandifer and video editor Thomas Triebel. Copyright CGTN Europe

Trash or Treasure?

Fittingly, a major waste-management season required a lot of leadership, content planning and project management. I got plenty of help from my colleagues including correspondents, Natalie Carney, Johannes Pleschberger and Aljosa Milenkovic whose work was brought alive by me along with writer Gary Parkinson, Producers Susan Blackburn, Alice Castle and Sarah Parfitt, animator James Sandifer and video editors Natalia Luz and Terry Wilson. Copyright CGTN Europe.

Zero Waste Challenge

A project idea by colleague Yubin Du, it gave me a great opportunity to showcase the potential of mobile journalism and remote news gathering. I trained and scripted packages to be shot on mobile phone from contributors Francesa Della Penna in Europe, Zach Danz in the U.S., Emmanuel Ojirhevwe in Africa, and Yang Xinmengon in China. The project aimed to analyse their local waste-disposal cultures, measure their output, investigate challenges and propose solutions across a number of areas. Writers Elizabeth Mearns and Gary Parkinson. Animation James Sandifer. Video editors Julia Carbonaro, Francesa Della Penna, Catherine Newman, Terry Wilson. Copyright CGTN Europe

The Pandemic Playbook

In the early months of the pandemic, I was asked to quickly produce a sprawling special examining the world’s responses – for better or worse. The resultant projects – around 20,000 words in 10 themed chapters bolstered with dozens of videos, animations, soundbites and pieces to camera – may be the most important work I’ve ever produced. Writers Elizabeth Mearns, Gary Parkinson, Andy Murray. Video Editing and animation Steve Chappel. Copyright CGTN Europe

Bridge Builders

To help tell the stories of people who have helped bring China and the UK closer together, colleague Sun Lan and I project managed, researched, interviewed, commissioned, wrote and produced four half hour documentaries featuring some of the most important influencers in modern Chinese history. Having established a successful strand, the Bridge Builders brand has continues to tell China’s story with other European countries. Project Managers: Elizbeth Mearns, Sun Lan, Yubin Du. Writers Elizabeth Mearns, Sun Lan, Gary Parkinson Video Editors Terry Wilson, Paul Izzard, James Sandifer, Jeong-One Park. Series Editor Guo Chun Copyright CGTN Europe

Are smart motorways safe?

When UK motorways are adapted to use the hard shoulder, it increases their capacity – but also their potential for lethal accidents. For this investigation I interviewed campaigners and road users, drove the motorways – and told the tragic stories of lives lost. Preenters Elizabeth Mearns, Lucia Brienza, Writers: Gary Parkinson, Elizabeth Mearns Animation: James Sandifer Video Editors: James Sandifer, Thomas Triebel. Copyright CGTN Europe

Innovation, Action, Change

A special on poverty – its causes, problems and solutions. Eye-catching illustrations and animations make the story sing, while well-researched interviews make it compelling to read. Illustrations James Sandifer, Writers Elizabeth Mearns Gary Parkinson, Video Ediots Terry Wilson, James Sandifer. Series Edior Xie Zheng. Copyright CGTN Europe

Bacteria: Tiny, deadly, essential

I was Series Editor on this fascinating collection of content about the history, problems and potential of the unseen world. Writers Elizabeth Mearns, Giulia Carbonaro Gary Parkinson. Video editors Giulia Carbonaro, Terry Wilson Animation Ben Wildi. Series Editor Ducan Hooper. Copyright CGTN Europe

Getting to Zero

To mark COP28, I collated content based on climate change, with an eye-catching cartoon opener and input from correspondents around Europe. Writers Elizabeth Mearns Gary Parkinson Animation James Sandifer. Video editors James Sandifer, Butchy Davy Thomas Triebel. Copyright CGTN Europe

Ukraine: One year on

To mark the war’s anniversary, I project managed this special with correspondent content and fresh angles, compiled stories and commissioned video, all with distinctive branding. Presenters Iolo ap Dafidd, Aljosa Milenkovic. Writer Elizabeth Mearns. Animators Butchy Davy, James Sandifer. Video Editor Bitchy Davy. Copyright CGTN Europe

Inside Rural Romania

It was a simple story – Bucharest banker turns photographer of his country’s almost-forgotten bucolic lives – but demanded beautiful presentation. The Shorthand platform allows for that - and embeds of videos and maps. Writer Thomas Wintle Copyright CGTN Europe

The Alps: Timeless and changing

A collection of stories from the roof of Europe. I liaised closely with correspondent Johannes Pleschberger to theme the content in our first large scale convergence of content between TV an digital. Writers various Animation James Sandifer. Video Editors various Copyright CGTN Europe