Ben Seale spent more than a decade working in television, with credits including The Repair Shop, the BBC Proms, Glastonbury, Hairy Bikers and the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance. But his journey into filmmaking was far from conventional.
In the first episode of The Surrey Hills Portrait, Ben joins me in Dorking to talk about television, creativity and building a film company around the subjects that genuinely matter to him.
Half British and half Swiss, Ben received an invitation at 18 to complete military service in Switzerland. He stayed for several years, becoming an officer in the Swiss Air Force and gaining experience in leadership, logistics and project management. Those skills would prove unexpectedly useful when he eventually started running his own production company.
Ben describes how difficult it was to break into television without existing contacts. His first opportunity came through a production filming with Sean Bean in Belgium, where a connection with the director eventually led to work on Hairy Bikers and opened the door to the BBC.
After 12 years in the industry, long periods away from home, shrinking production budgets and wider changes in television prompted him to consider a different path.
Directed by Good grew from Ben's desire to make films about the subjects he cares about most: British history, heritage, traditional crafts, music, culture and the countryside. It also gave him the opportunity to create a business shaped by his own values.
Through its Create With Care pledge, Directed by Good gives five per cent of every production fee to charity. Clients can add a further five per cent, which the company will match, allowing as much as 15 per cent of a project's value to support UK charities.
Ben also speaks honestly about the less visible reality of starting a creative business. Alongside the cameras, fascinating people and interesting locations are contracts, release forms, administration, networking and the constant challenge of finding new clients.
Looking ahead, Ben doesn't want Directed by Good to become an enormous production company. His ambition is to build a respected small team, producing distinctive work across the UK while offering good pay, proper holidays and a healthy working environment.
Most importantly, creating the company has allowed him to reconnect with the things he loves, spend more time at home and start playing the tuba again with Mole Valley Silver Band.
This is an open and thoughtful conversation about television, creativity, self-employment and building a business around work that matters to you.
Find out more about Ben and his work at directedbygood.com.
The Surrey Hills Portrait: stories from the people who live, work and create here.
