Hot Shots 2023: Maria McCloskey

Maria McCloskey began her journey into the TV industry from the outside, as a 17-year-old contributor in a documentary about young carers. At the time, she was caring for her mother, who had cancer, and was intrigued by the working relationship of the crew on the documentary.

After a spell of work experience with the production company behind the film, McCloskey has built a career from the ground up, with credits spanning genres across documentary, fact ent and digital formats, as well as specialist factual.

One of McCloskey’s first roles in TV was a production assistant on A Great British Injustice (BBC2), after which she worked as a trainee assistant director on Line Of Duty (BBC1) and Conversations With Friends (BBC3). More recently, she has jumped from observational docs such as The Hotel People (BBC2) to digital formats like Second Hand Style Up (Channel 4.0).

At the age of 23, McCloskey’s experience from development to delivery mean that she is already a vital team member at all stages of production, right through to the edit. As an assistant producer at Stellify Media, she is known by colleagues as a proven self-shooter and director who thrives on fast-paced work, from organising international shoots to handling sensitive subject matter with care and professionalism.

Stellify Media chief executive and co-founder Kieran Doherty says: “Maria is too young to be this talented and experienced. She shoots, she directs, she edits, she even casts. I’m energetically supporting her full in the knowledge I’ll be working for her someday painfully soon. That, plus she’s a lovely human being.”