Kathy Harcombe Email & Phone Number

TopCast is a production company that specialises in digital storytelling and training.* Over 40 years combined experience in production and commissioning at the BBC* Creating and delivering top-class content on digital platforms for renowned global organisations* We work with the best in the production industry to find the heart of your story and and take.

London, England, United Kingdom

• Commissioning, planning and executive-producing African news and feature stories for pan-BBC News broadcast on Digital/Social, TV and Radio
• Created commissioning workflow to transition from linear to digital, multiplatform content, which resulted in data-proven audience growth and impact, particularly with younger, female audiences.
• Commissioned and executive-produced special climate change content based on analysis of BBC Africa Digital consumption.
• Created and delivered production training for BBC Africa content teams on efficient ways to gather and produce multiplatform treatments of stories.
• Mentored younger colleagues in BBC Africa and promoted their talents and content to wider BBC News output

• Editorial & creative lead on a half-hour daily news & current affairs programme broadcast on BBC World TV and partner stations across Africa, the US & the Caribbean
• Led a pilot team in creating and launching Focus on Africa in 2012, the first ever daily BBC TV News programme dedicated to African stories
• Produced major outside broadcasts of African news stories such as the death of Nelson Mandela; President Obama’s tour of Africa; and the Westgate mall siege in Nairobi for pan-BBC outlets
• Investigated and reported on Israel's secret deal to send its Sudanese and Eritrean migrants to third countries in Africa. The story was picked up across Israeli and international media
• Launched and executive-produced What’s Up Africa, the first ever satire series on BBC TV News. It did particularly well on BBC Africa social platforms and was nominated for an AIB award

• Creating and launching a portfolio of magazine programmes for TV and Digital, focusing on content and treatments to help grow young African audiences. Recruiting and managing programme teams and devising training.
• Created ground-breaking programmes Life Clinic, #TheSheWord, and Africa Eye investigations for English, French and Swahili audiences in Africa
• As part of the first series of #TheSheWord, I was commissioned to produce the 30-minute documentary "Fake Me: Living for Likes" pitched as BBC Africa's showcase piece for the BBC Beyond Fake News season in Nov 2017

Producing and reporting on international news stories for a global audience. Fixing high-profile guests for different region-focused programmes across the channel. Arts and culture reporter

Producing domestic stories for a UK audience in a 24-hour breaking news environment, working both in the newsroom and the field. Headline writer

Postgraduate Degree, Translation

Bachelor Of Arts - Ba, French Language And Literature