SPOTLIGHT rolls out like it’ s always been there, because getting the content out there in the best way and knowing it intimately is what it’ s all about. So you’ re studying 16 hours a day non-stop for 2 weeks straight because shooting deadlines are non-movable. You’ ve got 18 pages to get together and write and you push yourself until you’ re completely exhausted and then the next thing you know you’ re swinging down vines and hanging out of helicopters while you’ re flying across the tops of trees during filming. with children there. It will be great fun and it’ s for a good cause.
Q: Is there a documentary season or how does the scheduling work?
A: Absolutely, unless you’ re doing a small project which could come at any time throughout the year. Ideas for documentaries are generally pitched in January and February. Then the networks decide which ideas they’ re going to move forward with. You have 2 months of writing and preparation, and then filming is typically from September to October. So you have pitch, greenlight, preparation, filming, and delivery.
Q: Your just back from shooting your next documentary. Would you please tell us about what are you working on now?
A: All I can say is it’ s a major international history show for a global network and my pilot will be out in September
Q: You are working on a series of children’ s books. Please tell us about that project.
A: It’ s a project which teaches children history not through the historical figures themselves but through their pets and animals. It’ s a way to make history fun and accessible to children through the pets of historical figures. The books are ready to be published but a television series may be in the works. Once the TV element gets sorted out then any necessary changes to the books will be made and then the books will be published.
I’ m also working on a project with a radio station in Dubai, UAE called Pearl 102. It’ s a radio station set up for children and we’ re working on a few different scenarios whereby I’ ll be reading to and interacting
Photo by Carlo Sanchez
Q: Ashley, out of all of history and all the stories and myths through time, what do you think is the greatest undiscovered relic or treasure with the most potential for being found?
A: I think one of the greatest treasures, if indeed it exists, would be the Amber Room. The Amber Room was a world famous chamber within Germany that held panels filled with gold. During World War II, when Germany entered Russia, the room was disassembled and shipped to Konigsberg, East Prussia. That particular area, however, was bombed by the Allies— leaving the contents of the room uncovered. Only a small portion of a mosaic stone was recovered in 1997, leaving the rest to be buried away. When found, it will be of massive historical wealth.
Q: So far what’ s been your favorite adventure?
A: The greatest adventure by far was climbing to the highest peak in the Peruvian Andes searching for the lost Golden Sun Disk of Mu. I led an expedition of 12 camera crew and 30 Inca guides to 14,500 feet in elevation over six days. We actually found a pit exactly where we thought the Golden Sun Disk was going to be. It’ s a hugely important artefact. We were climbing up cliffs, avoiding mudslides and swinging over chasms and crossing old rope bridges- it was an amazing adventure.
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1961 Magazine Fall 2016