As a TV genealogist I am often approached by journalists, radio and TV production companies looking for exciting stories. If you have a story you think might be of interest, please send me a brief outline of it, together with your address and contact number, and confirm that you are willing to allow me to hold your details. I will pass on details the outline of your story to any producer who I think will be interested, but I guarantee that I will not pass on your contact details without specifically asking you first. I also absolutely guarantee that all research I undertake for clients is undertaken in the strictest confidence: if I do not have your express permission to pass on any details of your story or who you are, I will not do so.
Your story might involve connections with pirates or kings, amazing discoveries of titles, lands or links with famous people, or lines of descent from far-flung countries. The media are particularly interested at the moment in people with ancestry which bridges national and racial groups, such as white people with black ancestry. However, your story does not have to be the makings of a Hollywood blockbuster: if you had an ancestor who endured the hardships of a coal mine or cotton mill all their lives, or was a mildly eccentric country parson, they might still be exactly what a producer is looking for!
Filming on location in Jamaica with Extraordinary Ancestors producer Ann Lavelle
The advantages of media involvement are several. You might have some extra research paid for by the production company. You might get your picture in the paper or on TV. Some people who have volunteered their stories have ended up being taken on expenses-paid trips to visit their ancestors’ place of origin. For Extraordinary Ancestors, one woman was flown to Vladivostock to visit the naval dockyards here ancestor had founded, a boy from Bristol was taken to see the beautiful island of Trinidad, where his ancestor had led a very hard life as an indentured labourer, and a man from Oldham was flown to Jamaica with Melanie Sykes! Getting your story into the media also means that someone who knows more about the story, such as a long-lost relative, might hear about your interest and get in touch.
I cannot guarantee your story will make it onto TV- but if it is a good one then it will deserve to be told.
