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 & TV, 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.

Publications

Books

Coleman, E. 2025. The People We Watch: Documentary Contributors and What Their Experiences Tell Us About the Cultural Industries. Routledge.

Journal Articles

Coleman, E. 2023. The Work of Documentary Relationships. European Journal of Cultural Studies. DOI: 10.1177/13675494231208501 Coleman, E. 2023.

Coleman, E. 2023. The Wellbeing of Ordinary People in Factual Television Production. Media, Culture and Society. DOI: 10.1177/01634437231155 

Book Chapters

Coleman, E. 2025. Exploitation and Documentary Contributors. In Piotrowska A (ed) The Ethics of Documentary Film. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.

Book Reviews

Coleman, E. 2025. Patricia Aufderheide, Kartemquin Films: Documentaries on the Frontlines of Democracy. International Journal of Communication, 19, p.3.

Media Articles

Coleman, E. 2024. Strictly scandal: how gaps and confusion in duty of care plague the television industry. The Conversation.

Reports

Coleman, E. 2025. Improving Duty of Care in the Cultural Industries, King’s College London.

Keynote Speeches

‘The Work of Documentary Relationships,’ ZDOK, March 2025, Zurich.

Conference Panels

‘The Cultural Production of the Ordinary.’ Speakers: Emily Coleman, Dr Ruth Palmer, Professor Helen Wood, Professor Laura Grindstaff. Chair: Professor David Hesmondhalgh. International Communication Association, May 2022, Paris.

Conference papers

‘Exploitation and Documentary Contributors,’ Visible Evidence, December 2024, Melbourne.

‘The Work of Documentary Relationships,’ Visible Evidence, August 2022, Gdansk. 

‘Being on Screen: Why do Ordinary People Take Part in Documentaries?’ White Rose College of Arts & Humanities Annual Postgraduate Conference, October 2019, York.

Public Lectures

‘Ordinary People in the Media: Wellbeing, Duty of Care and Industry Practices,’ Research Live, University of Leeds Doctoral College, February 2022, Leeds.