JANE MOTE, Consultant Editor, The Whickers, UK

Journalist, storyteller and TV executive Jane Mote is a champion for the power and accessibility of documentary. She is Consultant Editor for documentary funding foundation The Whickers nurturing and supporting audio and film documentary-makers who share a curiosity for the world. She was tutor for a BFI short documentary course and has worked as a story lab mentor for Docs By the Sea and Asian Network of Documentary (AND). She frequently mentors and supports documentary makers from across the world.

Previously, Jane was UK MD of Al Gore’s documentary channel Current commissioning and executive producing feature and TV-length documentaries and ran six factual and lifestyle TV channels for UKTV commissioning programming across genres.

Apart from working in management at Discovery, Turner Broadcasting, BBC Worldwide, STV, ESi media and the Africa channel, Jane has also worked for sixteen years in the BBC creating and running BBC London across News and Current Affairs.

Currently she is also the director of the media production and consultancy company Beechtobeach based in West Sussex, England.INSTITUTE PROFILE

The Whickers was launched in 2015 to support emerging talent in international documentary. It is financed through the generous legacy of UK broadcast journalist Alan Whicker. It is now overseen by his partner Valerie Kleeman furthering Alan’s vision to nurture and support new documentary talent from around the world to take the first step up a ladder which is increasingly difficult to climb.

The Whickers seek to support original, access driven stories that take the audience into a new or hitherto unseen world. The criteria also include ‘Being personal, but not partisan’. Wit, flair and curiosity are always welcome.

The Foundation has partnerships with Sheffield Doc/Fest, Chicken and Egg Pictures, The BFI and London’s Open City Documentary Festival.