Sammy Ofori-Attah makes his directorial debut for ITV, with his profile series Black Magic With Trixy as part of the newly formed Fresh Cuts strand for Black History Month 2024.
Please tell us a little bit about yourself?
I’m a Ghanaian-British director from Yorkshire and am now based in London.
Did you always want to work in TV? How did you land your first role?
Yes! Ever since I was little, I’ve been interested in storytelling but in particular, through the screen. My favourite films and TV shows let me discover new things and different aspects of society but in an entertaining way.
After completing some work experience with BBC Studios Drama and Comedy departments, I asked BBC Music if they had any roles going at Glastonbury. There was a runner role, which I interviewed for and I’ve been grateful for ever since, as it fulfilled a dream of working at Glastonbury.
Why did you apply for Fresh Cuts this year?
I had just graduated from the Directing and Producing TV Entertainment MA at NFTS, so I was looking for related roles in unscripted TV, so Fresh Cuts looked perfect! And having seen previous episodes, I had an idea of how good the shows we make could be.
What is your series about?
“Black Magic with Trixy” explores the contributions of London’s Black community to the city’s history and heritage through the eyes of magician Trixy, who will perform culturally relevant magic tricks at significant locations during Black History Month.
What has been your biggest challenge producing this series?
Time. I think every PD says they want more time at every stage of production but prepping six episodes, securing locations and contributors, whilst working on the format, was a lot for a relatively inexperienced PD as myself. But I was well supported and had a brilliant team to work with.
What was your favourite part about making it?
Following the above, it was the team. I learned so much from my Series Producer (Fabian Bohan-Taghian) and Exec. Producer (Natalie Rose) at all stages of production and a lot from the post-production team. I spent most of my time though with my crew of AP, Jake Whittle and researcher, Charlie Cane, who were a pleasure to work with and learn from, so hope to collaborate with them in future.
What would your advice be for someone stepping up into a PD role?
Stay healthy throughout your production – the usual things: eat well, sleep well, exercise, look after your mental health etc. Because you’ll be at your best when these things are at theirs.
And lastly, what are your favourite TV shows of all time and what are you watching at the moment?
So many – I could write an essay! Actually, I once wrote an essay on Love Island. So that and Married At First Sight are two. You could learn everything you need to know about modern relationship and dating dynamics after watching a series of each!
I grew up on shows like Brasseye, Spooks, Top of the Pops, TFI Friday and Extras. Then some niche stuff like the BBC’s docudrama, ‘Smallpox 2002’ and related series, ‘If…’. They were so experimental and frighteningly real.
My absolute favourite though would be The Wire. To map out a five series arc from the beginning and actually execute it through to the end is incredible.
And I’m currently watching Slow Horses, Kin and Olivia Attwood’s Bad Boyfriends, which is filling a hole left by the brilliant Tool Academy all those years ago!
