Dr Emily Coleman

I joined the Open University in May 2025 to help establish a new School of Creative Industries and design the curriculum for the BA in Film & Media, which is due to launch in 2027. We are currently producing an innovative programme, using emerging technologies to combine theory with creative practice for distance learners, with the aim of making opportunities for more people to access creative careers.

My research is about culture, media and the creative industries. I’m particularly interested in media participants and duty of care, and I’ve recently published a book called The People We Watch (2025) about documentary contributors and what their experiences can tell us about the media. I’m a member of the Advisory Board for ReCARE TV – an ongoing project investigating working practices in reality television, alongside industry partners including BECTU, the Film & TV Charity and the Department for Culture, Media & Sport.

My work has been funded by the Arts & Humanities Research Council and the Economic & Social Research Council, and has been published in leading international journals such as Media, Culture & Society and the European Journal of Cultural Studies. I have taught workshops, lectures and seminars at the University of Leeds, King’s College London, Queen Mary & Roehampton. I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.  

Before I became an academic, I worked in the TV industry for over 15 years, producing, directing and developing primetime factual programmes for the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Sky. I worked on a wide range of different genres, from high-end Saturday night entertainment to critically-acclaimed observational documentaries, and filmed undercover in countries including Thailand, Egypt and Mexico.

Research interests

• Cultural industries and creative work
• Media participants
• Documentary theory and practice
• Cultural policy and social justice

Teaching interests

• Media and communications history, theory and practice
• Documentary filmmaking
• Advanced academic writing

I welcome queries from prospective PhD students who are interested in studying any aspect of the cultural industries and creative work. Feel free to get in touch to discuss your ideas and I can help you to develop a proposal.