Hello.

I’m Rob, and I’ve spent 20+ years producing and directing documentary television for all the major broadcasters and streamers. I’ve even won a few shiny gongs along the way. But I love words as well as pictures, so I started this…

What’s it all about?

Making documentaries is a brilliant, fascinating way to earn a living - but it’s rarely a smooth ride. Chaos and creativity go hand-in-hand, and that heady mix leaves behind plenty of stories from behind the scenes.

The Doc Vault is where I get to tell those stories whilst wrestling with the bigger questions that come up in documentary filmmaking - those moments where craft, ethics, and instinct collide. Along the way, I’ll share some tips and tricks of the trade, talk about some of my favourite docs, and ponder some wider themes and ideas.

What to expect

If you subscribe (for free) you’ll get my dispatches delivered straight to your inbox. I plan to post regularly - roughly every couple of weeks - but not on a rigid schedule. Sometimes more, sometimes less, depending on what’s happening.

Please feel free to reach me at rob@robmccabetv.com anytime, or get in touch via LinkedIn. You can also check out lots of my work on my website.

To learn more about the tech platform that powers this publication, visit Substack.com.