Shanakee

Archive footage for film and TV

Shanakee manages all aspects of archival research and licensing for film and TV productions.

"Working with the team at Shanakee is always a brilliant experience”

Sian Packer, Raw TV

Our team manages the archive producing needs on high-end TV documentary and drama for many of the world's most acclaimed production companies.

We undertake all the archive responsibilities of bespoke research, post-production workflow, clearing permissions, right through to preparing deliverables, all while providing regular updates to all production departments.

From the initial broad-sweep research to the specific themes, events, locations and characters, the Shanakee team combines a precise, investigative research with a thorough, methodical approach. We also bring vast expertise to the complexities of copyright licensing and clearances, backed up with our significant collective experience on a range of film and television productions.

“Creatively, you can rest assured that Shanakee always know how to find those true gems that really make the difference and they are also great at problem solving if alternative suggestions are needed. They work to deadlines and within budgets and always remain calm under pressure. James is a first class Supervising Archive Producer who is very collaborative and leads his team so incredibly - he always understands exactly what is needed with resource, budget and how best to support the production to make it work.” - Sian Packer, Line Producer ‘Tinder Swindler’, ‘Get Gotti’, ‘The Nilsen Tapes’ - Raw TV, London

How We Work

The name Shanakee comes from the Irish Gaelic word seanchaí meaning storyteller. It's a constant reminder to us that at the core of all of our work is a story needing to be told.

Many archive researchers and archive producers work alone - but not us. Shanakee is a dynamic and close-knit team working in collaboration across our slate of projects to ensure maximum efficiency and creativity.

Our varied career backgrounds and combined experience of over forty years in film and TV production bring a wealth of perspectives to every brief and allow us to trouble-shoot throughout the project.

We bring a bespoke approach to each project, adapting our complementary skill sets to different needs, budgets and timeframes. By working together, we maximise workflow efficiency and provide excellent onscreen value for any budget. Crucially, this also gives us greater flexibility in adapting to the changing demands of projects when the unexpected might arise!

We manage the entire archival research and licensing process for you, from preliminary research and accurate budget projections, to negotiating fees, cataloguing, ingesting and final paperwork.

The Team

James McDonald - Supervising Archive Producer

James has over twenty years experience in film and TV and has archive-produced dozens of productions, working with Golden Globe, BAFTA and Academy award-winning filmmakers. He founded Shanakee in 2013 and now manages a team of archive producers and archive researchers, overseeing projects' archival workflow, budgets, and trouble-shooting issues relating to negotiation, intellectual property, and anything unexpected!
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Emma Dempsey - Archive Producer

Emma worked as a factual TV producer and edit producer before specialising in archive. She brings an experienced producer’s editorial judgement, sensibility and tenacity to her work, and has an eye for material that can bring a story to life. With strong journalistic instinct, she can sniff out hard-to-find footage, negotiate sensitive access and source a wide range of user generated content.

Eve Richardson - Archive Producer

Eve has worked in factual TV for over a decade including two years as an edit producer on archive-driven programmes where she was also responsible for sourcing the material. From here grew her strong passion for archive and since then she has been specialising in archive. Her edit experience gives a solid understanding of the post-production workflow and the pressures on those in the cutting room. She has strong editorial judgment and understanding paired with a passion for finding those hidden gems.

Hannah Ratcliffe - Archive Researcher

Hannah is a highly-motivated and inquisitive archive researcher with a diverse background in story-telling. Hannah is meticulous in all aspects of her work from tracking down rare footage to finding and implementing efficient methods and processes. Her rigorous fact-finding skills are founded in BBC journalism and prior to specialising in archive research Hannah managed the archive of the world’s longest running drama.

Kate Al-Khalili - Archive Researcher

Kate has varied experience in the television industry and has increasingly become more passionate about working with archive. She has particularly extensive experience in the difficult task of acquiring police records and tracking down hard-to-find people through her extensive work on true crime documentaries.

Al Hopkins - Archive Researcher

Al has worked in film archives for many years and has particular expertise in research, copyright and negotiation. He brings his experience of project management systems, problem-solving and sourcing rare and remarkable footage to a diverse slate of productions.

Wider Team

We regularly work with a variety of freelance archive producers, researchers, and assistants who bring specialist skills and experience to ensure we are able to dynamically adapt to the changing demands of projects.

Recent Credits

We are a trusted service provider to many of the best production companies and talent in the industry on a wide range of acclaimed feature films, documentaries and dramas.