Andrew Johnston
Writer, producer, problem solver
specialising in intelligent, thought provoking, quirky and mainstream entertainment

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thoughtful & chilling... Guardian

  riveting... Independent

   a triumph of tight, sharp editing... Sunday Times

  exquisitely produced... Daily Telegraph

  quite unlike anything else on radio... more please...Daily Mail

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CAREERSUMMARY

CREDITS

TRAINING

ACADEMIC

LANGUAGES

DIGITAL

CONTACT

Training

                Bell H@bitat New Media Design Programme resident  (Canadian Film Centre)
                Hypernarrative - advanced web writing & structure (SIFT, CSTC)
                Various multimedia seminars (inc Natpe/Banff, Hotdocs, DX)

                16mm film making (weekends)
                Understanding Film (night school)
                BBC TV & Film Location Safety & CPR

                BBC Management Training course
                BBC Radio Drama Director course
                BBC Featuristics (advanced creative feature making)
                BBC Directing Single Voice (actors and presenters) for radio
                Writing for Radio (night school)

Academic

1988-89   Masters (MSc) Experimental Psychology,  Sussex University, UK
1982-86   BA (Hons) 2:1 French and Linguistics, University of East Anglia, UK
                14 O's, 3A's, 1 S & rudimentary values,  King William's College, Isle of Man

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Digital Skills

                Computer, web, multimedia literate.
                Familiar with basic Dreamweaver, HTML, Quark, Inspirations,
                Adobe Premiere, Photoshop, Flash 5 et al.
                Digital editing: SADiE, Protools, Logic Audio, Soundscape

Languages

	Understand	Speak	Read	Write
English,  French	x	x	x	x
Italian,  German	x	x	x
Spanish	x	x	x
Japanese	x	x

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Responsibilities & Principal Credits

2003-5  Director, Shut Up & Write Me (Doc Channel, Corus Group) live action/animated documentary

2003    Co-producer, My Annie Ong (for CBC television strand The Passionate Eye)

2003    Director of Content, Reuters Synchroplayer prototype (ilovetv and Reuters)

2002    Producer, Toronto 2003 (Personal Group) Highly entertaining corporate video for British Insurance Co

2002    Director of Content, Lou Reed Simulcast (ilovetv.ca and Corus Entertainment )
            Interactive Lou Reed documentary experience, simulcast live across Canada

2001   Producer, member of team that built and launched the Documentary Channel in Canada
           Produced themed weekends -shaping, negotiating, buying, scripting and studio-producing hosts
           Valerie Pringle, David Gilmour and  Geoff Pevere.
           Also developed the series In Camera, one hour profiles of eminent filmmakers, with Christina Pochmursky

          In Camera with Ron Mann (Grass et al) producer
          In Camera with Allan King (Warrendale et al) producer
          In Camera with Shelley Saywell (Crimes of Honour et al) producer, director
          In Camera with John Zaritsky (Just Another Missing Kid et al) producer
          In Camera with Peter Raymont (The World is Watching et al) producer
          In Camera with Robin Benger (East Side Showdown et al) producer
          In Camera with Sun Kyung Yi (Thai Girls et al) producer

1997-2001  Editorial consultant, writer, independent producer, hired gun
          Solving problems, directing, re-editing, brand extension, interpreting,
          story development, good ideas, emergency production to tight deadlines.

          Brain Surgery for the Soul  (CBC Ideas) writer, presenter, pseudo-interactive radio doc
          The Art of War (Wesley Snipes / Warner Bros) creative consultant
          devised futuristic techniques for special fx espionage sequences
          The Secret Life of Gardens (Q Films / HGTV) audio, commentaries
          Slippery Blisses (NFB Canada) editorial consultant, interpreter
          Lads & Dads (BBC R5) soccer documentary, executive producer
          Market Forces (Dimbleby Partners / BBC R4) experimental short, producer
          Centurions: James Joyce's Ulysses (BBC R3) emergency producer
          With Great Pleasure: Designers Double (BBC R4) producer
          literary series with James Dyson and Sir Hardy Amies
          Discovery Channel Radio,  co-producer with Malcolm Love and Sunset +Vine
          brand extension concept, 100 international broadcasters on board
          The Legacy of Wealth (BBC R4) documentary,  hired gun producer
          Last King of the Gondoliers (BBC TV, PBS) specialist research, translator
          Children In Need (BBC TV) segment producer, FOH manager (live shows)

1996-97    Total immersion in TV production, BBC Features

          The Voyage of the Matthew  series for BBC1 & PBS hosted by Peter Snow
          Planning, finding content, story editing, orchestrating location segments,
          co-scripting  & directing presenter links, onlines.

         "Diplomatic relations" with Canadian coastguard,  presenter, composer et al.
         Rat wrangling, maggot handling, prop building, port-hole painting, you name it.

          Also provided weekly stories for CBC's  The National  and adapted content for
          other media (radio, web, news).  Team player in tv crew skippered by Peter Firstbrook.

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1990-96   Producer, BBC National Radio documentaries, specials & regular series
                Science, psychology, human nature, history, comedy, music, live shows.
                Conceiving or commissioning ideas, selling programme proposals, recording,
                directing experienced actors, journalists, comedians & new broadcasters;
                managing production teams, several $100k budgets, schedules & delivery.

1996  Bodies of Evidence, with Tony Robinson
          (riveting new archaeological series - Independent, The most dramatic series for ages   - Observer
          ...the most popular programme on Radio 4 - BBC memo after RI survey)
1996   A Retiring Fellow, satirical travelogue series with the unique Willie Donaldson
          (Disgracefully funny & quite unlike anything else on radio... More please - Daily Mail)
1996   Beam Me Up, Scotty,  space age design, tv & pop culture with legendary John Peel
          (a triumph of tight, sharp editing & production - Sunday Times)
1995  Fedback, with Piers Bishop, letters to the BBC (exquisitely produced mini-series - Daily Telegraph)
1995  The Psychology Of War,  Anglo-American doc series with ex commando Hugh McManners
          (thoughtful & chilling - Guardian, documentary of the year - Scotsman,
          grim but essential listening - Mail on Sunday)
1994   Grand Tour Venice, from the pov of Germaine Greer, sought by BBC worldwide
1994   Destinations, (pilot) with Mark Lawson, travel series  bought by BBC R4
1993-96   In-house producer on longer running series, 4th Column (commissioning satire)
          Itchy Feet, Something to Write Home About (intelligent travel shows)

1993        On-air host of BBC World Service educational arts show for 6 month run

1990-93   Freelance radio producer/director running successful small business under wing of BBC oral history unit

         Le Top, kitsch, avant garde, weekly bilingual French pop music show on national radio (BBC R5)
         Tuning In, acclaimed history of the radio from the listeners' point of view (BBC R2)
         The Victorians, transport, home & entertainment in the 19th century, with Margaret Howard (BBC R2)
         Sunday Edition with Barry Johnston, national Sunday breakfast show (BBC R5)
         The Brighton Festival, annual broadcasts from major arts festival with Margaret Howard(BBC R2)
         The European Arts Festival, for kids (R5)
         The Day Before Yesterday, history magazine show with cult DJ Annie Nightingale (BBC R5)
         How We Lived Then, How We Played Then, An Old Fashioned Christmas,
         County Tales, distinctive Oral History series (BBC R2 & R5)
         Write Me Soon & Write Me Long, (researcher) historical documentary set in
         Scotland and Nyasaland, nka Malawi (producer Roy Apps) (BBC R4)
         Last of the Great Landladies, socio-historical tribute (producer Peter Hoare) (BBC R4)
         Played in Japan, monologue written for & read in slot for new broadcasters (BBC R4)

1989-90  Freelance writer, researcher, BBC National Radio, local newspapers
               Finding provocative, entertaining content, telling stories, starting a business

1980s      Set up giant human backgammon event for ITV Telethon, after conceiving
               & orchestrating giant human rat maze for psychology conference
               Host on University TV station, also co-wrote & acted in play for local radio
 

Other Worldly Experiences

1984-88   English teacher in UK, France & on Shikoku Island, Japan
1982        Precision engineering lathe operator, Dorset, UK
1981        Freelance sandwich-board man, Douglas, Isle of Man

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Contact

dolce vita media inc
 
aj@dolcevitamedia.com
 

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