Secret Compass

Most production risk assessments are written alone, late, against a deadline.

Sound familiar? Try this:

Before you open a blank document: get your key people together. Find a whiteboard. Write down where you're going, what you're doing, who's going, when, and how you're getting around.

Then look at what you've written.

The hazards appear by themselves.

From there, structure what you've found under clear headings: team, medical, environment, security, activities, transport, legal, emergency planning. Work through likelihood, consequence and controls for each.

The risk assessment isn't the hard part. Getting the right people in the room is!

We've written a practical guide to the full process, drawn from 350+ productions across 111 countries. If you've got a shoot coming up, it's worth a read.

Link in bio.

Diving under the ice at the North Pole is serious enough when you're an experienced diver.

Will Smith is not an experienced diver.

Getting him into the water in an overhead environment in extreme cold required one thing from us before anyone committed: clarity. How much training would he need? Where could it happen? Was it realistic in his schedule?

Answer those questions early and production can make an informed decision. Answer them late and the money has already been spent.

We defined the parameters. Production made the call. It happened!

Pole to Pole with Will Smith - Produced by Nutopia for National Geographic and Disney+ Streaming now.

Skyscraper Live was broadcast last night around the world...

A live, real-time free solo ascent of Taipei 101.

When Alex Honnold stepped off the ground and began the climb, there were no ropes, no second takes and no margin for error. This was free soloing, broadcast live, on a 101-storey building.

Secret Compass was proud to act as lead safety partner, supporting Plimsoll Productions and Netflix in managing a large-scale live event spanning the building itself and the live broadcast stage.

Alongside the climb, our specialist rigging teams, led by the awesome Waldo Etherington, enabled camera operators to move and reposition safely in real time, while wider safety systems supported a large, mobile production crew operating in a high-consequence vertical environment.

Delivering safety in a context like this is not about limiting ambition. It is about enabling it through detailed planning, robust systems and clear coordination across the production.

Live events of this complexity demand experience, clarity and trust.

Huge credit to everyone involved in making it happen.