Hot Shots 2022: Zara Powell

“The commissioning editor admitted that she cried with joy at the final cut,” is music to the ears of a producer at any stage of their career. Zara Powell got this response on her first producer/director credit, on Windfall Films’ Europe From Above Christmas Special.

Senior series producer Mark Bridge elaborates: “It carried a great deal of expectation from the channel and required Zara to adapt an established format into something that would appeal to a broader and younger audience. She did that tremendously well through story selection, the use of young contributors and working closely with the CGI team.”

Over the past six years, Bridge has seen Powell rise from researcher to AP, edit producer and now PD. Watching her first edit, on Discovery Science series Rise Of The Machines, he recalls: “Each new viewing led to improvements in writing and editorial judgement.”

Powell is currently the youngest PD in Bridge’s team – but she is “my closest collaborator and the person I turn to when I need to get something done quickly, and done well”, he says.

Windfall chief executive Carlo Massarella reckons Powell is “at the top of her game in every role and project”. He adds: “Zara’s energy, persistence and enthusiasm has helped us to secure unique access to previously ‘off-limit’ sites and standout contributors capable of bringing complex stories to life. She is on a meteoric trajectory within the industry.”