1961 Magazine Fall 2016 | Page 11

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 .
11
1961 Magazine Fall 2016