Meet The Author

Hello and welcome to the site. In this section, I`m going to tell you how I got into television, what I do there - and how I came to write “Newskids on the Net”. I`ve also got advice for anyone why may be thinking about making a career in TV. As a former BBC producer, I know a thing or two about what goes on behind the screen - and I spend a lot of time teaching production skills to producers and directors starting out in the industry

I started getting interested in film-making at the age of ten. (Altogether…Aaah!) My mates and I would gather at weekends and in school holidays to make movies about the Wild West (filmed entirely on location in Surrey) and British spies in occupied France during World War II (filmed mainly in my back garden).

I count myself very lucky to have earned my living by making professional movies – a job I would happily have done for nothing! When I joined the BBC (I won`t tell you how long ago because TV producers never give away their age) equipment was cumbersome, film was expensive and bulky to handle and editing was slow. Modern cameras are more streamlined, computer software has made editing much faster and news reports can even be broadcast by mobile phone. It was this changing landscape that made me realise that, thanks to the internet, young people would soon be able to set up TV stations of their own using technology that is already part of their everyday lives. That`s how the idea for “Newskids on the Net” was born – and it quickly grew into a gripping adventure story.

Today, we're surrounded by television. The best is better than good, the worst is worse than diabolical! I`ve always believed that young people are very shrewd critics and that many have the creativity and enthusiasm to make films of their own. The problem is knowing how to start. That`s why I decided to produce the site.

Page 2: Nick Handel - TV career