A memory from five years ago popped up on my screen today, and it felt like a story worth sharing.
In 2021, one of our students’ parents approached me with an idea for a series of online PE lessons. “Approached” may not be quite the right word—he had to persuade me to take it on. I knew nothing about filming and had certainly never imagined myself producing a series like this—let alone 96 episodes, each around 40 minutes long.
The client didn’t have a finished concept or a clear picture of what the series should look like. But he said something I still remember:“I don’t know exactly what I want, but I know what I don’t want.”
Then he showed me a few video clips—and trusted me to work out the rest. My role was to turn that broad idea into a process that could make it real. As the producer, we have to developed the overall concept and structure, then brought together professional teams to create the lesson plans, turn them into scripts and deliver the filming, then editing. We also became involved in auditioning professional presenters—another completely new and fascinating experience.
Suddenly, I found myself in studios discussing scripts, performances and production schedules with people who had spent years in the industry. Although I was new to filming, my years of studying and working in the UK had prepared me in another way. I had learnt how to move between different cultures, expectations and ways of working.
The most important “translation” was not simply between Chinese and English. It was taking a client’s instinct—an idea that was still difficult to define—and turning it into something British education and production professionals could understand, develop and bring to life.
That vague idea eventually became 96 professionally produced lessons. I was later told that the series went on to achieve more than 100 million views in China. Yet the image that stays with me most which shared by my client is much simpler: a group of children in China watching and joining in the lesson and they seemed really enjoying it.
The experience taught me not to decide too quickly what I can or cannot do. We do not always feel ready before taking the first step. Sometimes, another person’s trust comes before our own confidence—and the best way to honour that trust is to take the responsibility seriously and do the work properly.
Five years on, I remain deeply grateful to the parent who trusted me with the idea, and to everyone who helped bring it to life. It was one of those unexpected opportunities that quietly changes the direction of your career—and your confidence in what might be possible.