Joe Talbot

Joe Talbot originally trained as an actor at LAMDA and was a member of the National Youth Theatre where he performed with Jessica Hynes and David Walliams. He formed The Company of Creative Artists with world-renowned movement director Claude Chagrin before moving into television production, retraining under the guidance of Janet Street Porter. He graduated from Floor Manager to News Director before becoming an award-winning Promo Director. He Directed 2 factual series for Discovery and then changed course commissioning over 300 hours' of programming for GSB, ITV and Turner Broadcasting, sitting on the BAFTA Sport Panel and judging at the Edinburgh Comedy Festival. In 2010, he co-founded the Short Form Film Company shooting and directing over 150 Shorts across every genre. This lead to Joe originating WillShake with his passion to introduce Shakespeare to a Primary School audience as well as bring the popular Jamie Johnson books to the BBC. The first series was recognized with an International Emmy nomination for Best Kids Series and the second with a BAFTA Kids, RTS and Prix Jeunesse nomination. Joe's reputation as a Director is to exact extraordinary performances from children who have little if any acting experience. He works closely with Ian Smith at The TV Workshop in Nottingham honing a tailored program for each cast member based on a thorough understanding of character through improvisation and rehearsal. He demands the same of them as he would any actor and the results alongside an impressive aesthetic is present in all his work.