Dr James McLean

I am the programme director for the Media Production and Media & Communication undergraduate degrees at the University of Hull. I have experience working in various creative pre-production and production roles across the media sectors on multiple franchise products, including Doctor Who, Star Wars, and High School Musical. My industry experience has included working on video game productions for Disney, BBC, and Lucasfilm franchises. I have experience in writing, design development, and storyboarding for commercial adverts and promotions in the UK and overseas. I have also illustrated for comics, television shows, books, journals, and DVDs.

My research interests focus on the processes of professional media production. I have publications that consider production through the lenses of adaptation, genre, transmedia storytelling, and the transnational movement of media works. My research seeks to make sense of ongoing creative practices, commercial decision-making, and the risk management strategies of media producers. I'm currently in the early stages of co-planning an edited collection focusing on video games. My research has widened in the last few years, looking at the role of storytelling and its benefits to society. I have been working regionally, applying my skills to local communities, exploring the benefits of media storytelling to groups with learning disabilities (VOICE) and mental health (ERNI). I am in the early stages of a project that will explore storytelling in tourist-intensive regions, in particular for those identifying as neurodivergent.

I continue to contribute to media projects, including work in visual design, storytelling, and podcast hosting, with expertise on shows such as Doctor Who, Star Trek, and Millennium. I have television expertise that centres around US/UK cult television, and I have been engaged in multiple media projects that have engaged with creators and professionals within the industry. I have interviewed industry professionals, including BAFTA award-winning documentary producer Neil Grant; Chris Carter (The X-Files); television producer Phillip Hinchcliffe and director Graeme Harper (Doctor Who); television producer Adrian Munsey (Wonderland: Science Fiction in the Atomic Age for Sky Arts); and Hollywood actors such as Lance Henriksen (Aliens) and Barbara Bain (Mission Impossible/Space: 1999).