Tired Eyes, Full Heart, Two Unpacked Swimsuits: Inside The One Show's Jury

The Dominican Republic was not where I expected to spend any time in 2025, but here I was surrounded by palm trees, welcome drinks, and some of the most brilliant minds in our industry.

I was beyond honoured to be invited to judge the Moving Image Craft category at The One Show for Creativity 2025. This was an opportunity to bring together three of my most favourite things: world-class work, connecting with inspirational people, and welcome drinks.

I’ll be honest though, the invitation had hit me hard in two ways:

The first was excitement, bordering elation. I was flattered to be asked, proud to represent Australia, and anxious to be part of something I’ve admired for so long.

But the second part was quieter in a nagging way, a little more insidious and it was hard to shake; it was that familiar voice of imposter syndrome, a stinging case of the “why me’s?”

Even after 27 years in this industry, after producing award-winning work, Emmy-nominated feature films, collaborating with the great Sir Ridley Scott, and supporting Oscar-winning directors, there was still a part of me that questioned whether I deserved to be there. Could I really take up this invitation?

Turns out, after a brief internal struggle, the voices in my head finally agreed we should go for it.

The Judging Process

The judging process spans three rounds, which sounds manageable until you realise each round is a heavyweight bout of intense scrutiny, diligent focus and above all, creative integrity.

Round one was remote. Hundreds of entries reviewed from home during late nights and weekends. It was a solo mission but an inspiring one. With each submission, I asked: How has the craft elevated this idea? What are the sum of these parts doing to set this work apart from the pack?

That’s really where it all starts, how the craft is deployed to bring the idea to life. You can have huge production values, big-name directors, beautiful cinematography, A-list celebrities, but without a sharp, compelling rationale, and a purpose to the production, it’s just gloss and surface.

I was constantly drawn to work that had clarity, vision, and a sense of something new.

In categories like cinematography, I asked myself: What makes this different? We’re in an era where anyone with a budget and the right lens can produce stunning visuals. But I was seeking out something fresh, surprising, emotionally resonant. Not just beautifully shot, but meaningfully crafted.

The same applied in editing. There was a wave of entries using that whip-fast, hyper-kinetic style that once felt revolutionary but now feels a little tired. Sometimes, the most powerful thing you can do is pause and let the moment and the idea land. Let your audience feel something. We’re past the point where “fast” equals “modern.” What I valued most was editing that enhanced the atmosphere and allowed space for the idea and audience to breathe.

Then came rounds two and three, held in person at a lovely resort in the Dominican Republic. Yes, it was stunning. No, we didn’t have much time by the pool. (Only one of my three new swimsuits made a brief 30-minute appearance at the swim-up bar.)

Each jury had its own cinema-style judging room. Huge screens, iPads for scoring, hot mics to record our spicy debates. Over two long days, we reviewed almost 400 pieces.

We scored the work anonymously, deciding on “no award”, “merit”,” bronze”, “silver”, or “gold”. Even though the real debate was reserved for round three, we were drawn into a preview of the impending shootouts as we debated the classification and tiering of certain hard-to-pin-down pieces.

The Final Results

Day three was the big one. After tallying the votes, we regrouped to finalise the awards. This is when the real decisions happen, as entries could move up or down.

And that’s when it really hit me, how utterly impressive these people were. Creative leaders from across the globe. Top-tier thinkers. But most of all, the jurors were articulate, intelligent, and considerate humans. People who’ve built agencies, led global campaigns, shaped culture. And here they all were, with little old me, sweating the same stuff: Is this truly award-worthy?

The passion of these people, the decisiveness, the dedication to a fair and balanced process, it was electric. We weren’t judging for the sake of it. We were holding the line for what great looks like. For where the bar is set for the next great idea.

Of course, the real magic wasn’t confined to the judging rooms. In less formal surrounds, I got to truly experience the best of this opportunity. On my very first night, attending welcome drinks, I didn’t know a soul. By the end of the evening, I’d made friends with brilliant creatives from Buenos Aires, Tokyo, Toronto, Bangkok, and the Dominican Republic.

We bonded over big ideas, buffet food, competitive jet lag, and all revealed a certain kind of exhaustion that is willingly embraced by the creative community.

Long into day three, when the tough decisions were being chewed over, it felt like we were an elite unit, a punchy global tribe of creative standard-bearers with a deep love of craft and craft service.

There were laughs. A lot of laughs. Exhausted, exasperated laughs. Especially 10 hours deep into the gritty end when it was being argued (again) that the tactical use of thermal camera footage was, in actual fact, conceptual genius. Or finding your deep reserves of good humour when our room was still going at it, long after others had wrapped. It’s those slightly loopy, totally passionate moments that remind you why you love this industry.

What I Took Home

By the end of it all I was, as we Brits say, cream crackered. But also energised in that rare, soul-sparking way. Spending time with a powerhouse group of creatives from wildly different walks of life, all united by excellence, was genuinely awe-inspiring.

And being among them, debating, championing, defending and, best of all, laughing, it reminded me that perhaps I do belong here too. That being driven, experienced, collaborative, and idea-obsessed is more than enough to earn this seat.

I came home with tired eyes, a full heart, and deep gratitude for having been part of it all. And two unpacked swimsuits, ready for the next unexpected adventure.