Hot Shots 2023: Alyona Synegina

Alyona Synegina escaped the Russian shelling around Kyiv in February 2022. She spoke virtually no English, but had spent her career producing shows such as the Ukrainian versions of Hell’s Kitchen and The Daily Show.

Undaunted, she dived into months of intense networking and English lessons, landing herself a place on the Media Trust & Channel 4 Mentoring Scheme, which in turn led to the opportunity to work on a Windfall Films doc charting the fi rst year of the invasion from an aerial perspective. She immediately impressed, despite never having worked on a documentary before, says Windfall Films producer/director Joby Lubman.

Taking on Synegina turned out to be a boon for Windfall Films in other ways too. She helped to develop the concept for the company’s bid to produce the Eurovision 2023 ‘Postcards’ – the short fi lms that introduce each act. And when BBC Studios needed a Ukrainian producer for the live show, Synegina’s “incredible work rate and perseverance made it easy to recommend her”, Lubman says.

“With Alyona we got so much more,” says Andrew Cartmell, senior executive producer for the Eurovision Song Contest 2023. “She was tasked with ensuring the authenticity of the Ukrainian elements and she pitched idea after idea and was a creative force.”