The Shanakee team has decades of archival experience

We are a trusted partner for leading production companies and top talent across the industry, delivering exceptional support on a wide range of acclaimed feature films, documentaries, and dramas.

Experience

With decades of combined experience in film, television and radio production and archives, we bring a wealth of knowledge and industry insights to every project.

Flexible

We’re agile and adaptable, ready to meet your project’s evolving needs. Our flexible approach guarantees efficient and effective results.

Team

Our collaborative team work seamlessly together, ensuring your project receives dedicated attention as well as benefiting from a pool of specialist knowledge and expertise.

Our team thrives on collaboration, and sharing knowledge across diverse projects. This ensures every task benefits from our combined experience and fresh perspectives.


At Shanakee, a dedicated team member leads each project, serving as your primary point of contact. Beyond project management, they harness our team's decades of collective industry experience. By combining our knowledge, contacts, and industry insights, we deliver enhanced creativity, significant cost savings, and accelerated turnaround times for screeners, masters, and vital documentation.

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 the team of archive producers and archive researchers, overseeing projects' archival workflow and trouble-shooting issues relating to negotiation, intellectual property, and anything unexpected!

Emma Dempsey

Archive Producer

Emma was a factual TV producer and edit producer before specialising in archive; she brings a keen editorial eye and strong journalistic instincts to every project. She's adept at uncovering rare and compelling material that breathes life into a story. Highly organised, she thrives managing large, complex productions efficiently, and enjoys leading teams and mentoring emerging talent.

Eve Richardson

Archive Producer

Eve has worked in factual TV for over a decade and her passion for archive came from her years as an edit producer on archive-driven programmes where she was also responsible for sourcing the material. Since then, she has gained specialist archive experience on many complex and high profile productions for streamers. Her previous edit experience gives a solid understanding of the post-production workflow and the requirements of the edit team. She has strong editorial judgment and understanding paired with a passion for finding those hidden gems.

Hannah Ratcliffe

Archive Producer

Hannah is a highly-motivated and inquisitive archive producer 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. She has since worked as archive producer on a variety of docuseries and feature documentaries. 

Kate Al-Khallili

Archive Producer

Kate has vast and varied experience in the television industry, having 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 Producer

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.

Have you got a project in mind?

Ready to take the next step? We're eager to discuss your project and explore how we can help you achieve your goals. Contact us today to schedule a consultation.