Lights, camera, action (Forward - Spring 2025)

TV producer Ella Beaumont, 29, from Aylesbury has worked in the industry for 10 years after earning a coveted spot on a Channel 4 apprenticeship scheme. With her first big gig on the 2016 Paralympics in Rio, she’s gone on to work on both summer and winter Paralympics, including last year’s Paris Paralympics, and recently on Bafta award winning documentary including Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story. 

Congratulations on Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story. How have things been in the wake of that?

It’s been lovely but surreal. It was a real passion project. I didn’t expect the reaction it’s had but you never know what will happen. Traffic to the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation website has increased so much, so that’s good.

You worked 10 consecutive live evening shows at the Paris 2024 Paralympics Games. How do you handle that kind of a schedule while managing toileting and taking care of your skin?

Mostly it’s a normal 9am-5pm job, which is fairly easy to handle. Live stuff is harder, and I was on air for four hours a night. I’d go in about noon and wouldn’t finish until 9pm when we came off air. That bit was quite tricky because obviously within that I had to work out when I’d do my toileting which tends to work better for me in the evening. On the other hand, it was nice not having to rush in the morning and I knew I had plenty of time.

So, it’s about adapting?

Yes, but it’s important to talk to someone if your shift isn’t working for you and in theory, they should accommodate you. If they can’t cater for you working on the Paralympics then that’s an issue. You must be proactive and say: “This isn’t working.”

You’re an athlete yourself – a wheelchair basketball and rugby player – it must’ve been amazing working on sport you love?

I used to play in the GB wheelchair basketball squad so being able to watch them was great. We were based in Cardiff, not Paris. Whisper, the production company I work for, has just built an all-purpose, fully accessible broadcast centre there. There are ramps, a fully accessible changing toilet room, and several other disabled toilets as well. Normally when you’re working on live sport, the galleries [production rooms with all the screens] are in trucks which have several steps or ladders up to them – they’re not usually accessible so doing the job is tricky. The Cardiff centre made things fairly easy without any access issues.

Have you always loved television?

No, I fell into TV accidentally. I did Media Studies at A Level and really enjoyed that, but never thought it’d end up being my job. In 2015 I’d just left Team GB and was considering what was next. I’d seen an ad fora scheme at Channel 4 training24 disabled people to work in TV production. The end goal was working on the Rio Paralympics. I went for the interview and was very lucky to get a place! I worked on the apprenticeship scheme for a year and learned lots! We had to reinterview at the end of that time. In TV it takes a long time to work your way up to big gigs like the Paralympics, so I was delighted to be selected. I was based on the live afternoon show, sitting in the studio with presenters and I’d be their stats girl which I loved! After finishing my final year at uni, I then went freelance and just found my way by trying out lots of different things.

What’s the industry like to work in?

Everyone I’ve met has been supportive. I sometimes feel pigeonholed in Paralympic sport and would like the challenge of working on other things. Otherwise, I’m waiting four years for the next Games! That’s why I started venturing into the documentary area too because it was different.

What are some of the challenges?

The biggest is commuting – media hours tend to be 10am-6pm. So, there’s sitting in traffic or a long journey on the train. I find it hard having to do my toilet routine when I get home. It can take an hour or two each day, meaning once you’re done with that, you’re not eating until 9pm or 10pm at night. Companies I’ve worked for are understanding, and I can work from home.

Do accessibility issues prevent disabled people from moving into the industry?

I think so. There’s a conscious effort for it to be changed but that’s a long way off and when you’re trying to make a career and can’t move up, that’s hard. Many people I’ve worked with have been quite resilient and are still trying to make it work. Others have left because it wasn’t accommodating enough. If your disability isn’t enjoying that, it’s hard. The longer you’re in the industry, you do learn to balance things better.

What career plans are on the horizon for you?

I’d love to work on the Olympics. I’m also considering other options beyond TV – I love it, but it’s demanding, and it’d be nice to find work closer to home. During lockdown, I did workouts online for disabled people. Four years later I’m still doing them for different charities and love it – it’s created a lovely community. I’ve done a personal trainer qualification so that could be another option one day.

This article was featured in the Spring 2025 issue of FORWARD magazine

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ELLA’s Super Man STORY