RURAL MEDIA - Key Persons
Alice's first experiences of the industry came from being a part of Rural Media's Random Acts Scheme and more recently, as a BBC New Creative. Since graduating in 2019 Alice has worked as a production assistant and script supervisor and is now supporting production across our slate.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Trustee
- Journalist
A Broadcaster and Journalist Anne Dawson leads the Gloucestershire University Media School. Anne was educated at the Universities of Oxford and Exeter and spent 20 years as a Television and Radio Journalist both at the BBC and in the independent commercial sector before moving into Higher Education. She continues to contribute to BBC broadcasts and online publications on education matters.
Anne has written for national newspapers, including The Sunday Times, on subjects ranging from film and education to travel and family life. She is an experienced media trainer and consultant and runs the production company Unit One Films from within the Media School, providing employment and skills training for students and graduates.
Callum studied media at the Hereford College of Arts, where he made music videos and short films. Callum works closely with the production team looking after kit and supporting post production. His favourite part of the job is being on set and working with the crew. He is always willing to lend a hand and learn something new.
Job Titles:
- Filmmaker / Educationalist
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Board
- Member of the Chair of the Board
- Journalist
David is a journalist who worked in newspapers and commercial radio before joining the BBC, where he ended up running the corporation's local and regional television, radio and online services across England. In recent years he led a BBC licence fee initiative to improve coverage of local democracy on newspapers. "I believe that we need to find more ways to give people in rural communities the opportunities they deserve and the kind of digital media work that RMC is leading helps to achieve that"
Job Titles:
- Social Media & Content Producer
Ewa moved to the UK from Poland after graduating from the University of Technology with a degree in Finance and Accounting. Ewa now manages Rural Media's financial team
Grant has spent over ten years as a producer and scriptwriter for various shows across the BBC, ITV and Channel 4. He is now part of the senior management team as Creative Director with a strategic role and creative responsibility across all our productions.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Trustee
Starting her career in the Youth Service, Jane has been a a Specialist Nurse Practitioner in Occupational Health, and a counselling psychotherapist since 2000. She then worked for the Home Office, both in the UK and overseas, for a number of years before leaving to set up her own Company.
In addition, Jane has been involved in several overseas projects, including working as a medic for the BBC National History Unit where she provided medical support services to indigenous people in the Krabi Islands and Papua New Guinea
Jane has a specific interest in understanding and responding to the issues of diversity, and is particularly interested in how the media can be utilised to further support this work
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Trustee
Jo spent 35 years working in local government children's services. She was a Director of Children's Services for 15 years, primarily in rural counties. She has significant expertise in the public sector, working with children, families and communities and in effective governance.
Since leaving local government in 2017, Jo has been Chief Executive of The Staff College, a national company providing development for leaders in children's services.
On being made a Trustee, Jo said: "Rural Media is an inspiring organisation with incredibly high production values. It makes a real impact with people - communities, people stepping into the creative industries and those who commission work."
With a background in performing arts, and a passion for inclusion and talent development Julie worked in London for 15 years in administration and operations. She returned to her Herefordshire roots in 2008 and now works as Head of Production across Rural Media's creative portfolio.
Job Titles:
- Development Producer
- Journalist
Lauren has been a journalist for more than ten years, working across print and digital with a focus on arts, heritage and community reporting. Now Project Manager working on the Herefordshire's a Great Place project, she is championing community engagement and digital storytelling.
Liza is a Romany Traveller from Kent, now based in the East Midlands. With an MA in contemporary dance and a Channel 4 short film in her portfolio, Liza applies her creative talents and organisational skills to supporting the delivery of the TT Vision training programme and managing the day to day running of the Travellers Times. Liza is aiming to build a team ready to take Travellers Times in to independence in July 2025.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Trustee
- Chief Executive at REHAU Ltd
Martin Hitchin, Chief Executive at REHAU Ltd, is an experienced senior professional with a successful thirty-year track record in the manufacturing and construction business. Starting at REHAU in 1988, in January 2007 Martin became CEO and is also responsible for operations in Scandinavia and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Martin's interest in the Arts and education has been a consistent theme throughout his life. REHAU were sponsors of H-Art in the past and personally, Martin has worked with local artists to help their work obtain a wider reach. Recently Martin became a trustee at NMiTE supporting the development of a new University in Hereford teaching a radical and diverse new programme of engineering.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Trustee
Matt is a partner of Harrison Clark Rickerbys solicitors, head of the firm's Hereford Office and leader of the firm's Real Estate team. The Hereford office employs over 50 staff and the Real Estate Team more than 100, across some 8 offices nationally. Matt's personal cases are very much engaged in and around the Herefordshire's rural economy where he has been practicing as a solicitor for over 15 years. For the firm he is key to business development and strategy and is proud to have outstanding growth areas credited to his work in this field. Matt loves creating clear objectives and then engaging with his teams and clients to work collectively to deliver results.
Job Titles:
- Data and Office Administrator
With over 23 years' experience in office management for corporate companies, digital, and PR and Comms agencies combined with a passion for organising everything that crosses her path, Melanie is at the helm of Rural Media's data, administration and facilities management. She thrives on helping others and is always ready to support the team in a variety of ways.
Job Titles:
- Editor, Travellers' Times
- Professional and Experienced Journalist and Editor
Mike Doherty is a professional and experienced journalist and editor with a Masters degree in print and radio journalism from City University, London. He has worked on the news desk at Big Issue and been published by national newspapers including the Guardian and Independent. Mike has had a long association with the Travellers' Times (TT), writing news, investigative and features for the magazine and website on a freelance basis, as well as delivering media and communications skills training on TT's Your Voice programme
Rachel is an award winning Director and Creative Producer in a career that includes film, theatre, writing, design, editing and education. Her work has embraced a wide variety of artistic forms from drama, animation and documentary to large scale live performance and gallery installation.
Job Titles:
- Post Production Co - Ordinator
Rich is an experienced editor and filmmaker working across drama, documentary and everything in-between for the last 15 years. He is always looking for ways to find and show the stories that are happening around us​ and you will often find him in a dark edit suite.
Rich has worked in media for more than 20 years, working with everyone from the BBC and Sky through to Disney and Warner Bros. He's a writer, a filmmaker, a journalist, an editor and a lecturer - often all at the same time - and has done everything from checking celeb vital statistics for UK women's mags to pitching film and TV projects to top Hollywood executives. And, when necessary, he's also a qualified cognitive behavioural hypnotherapist!