Pictus Productions is owned and run by Hayley Smith.
With 30 years’ experience in broadcast television and content creation, Hayley is an award-winning natural history specialist. Her series producer/director credits include the global hit series Meerkat Manor, ITV's Wild Britain with Ray Mears and Pygmy Hippo – A Very Secret Life for BBC2’s flagship strand, Natural World.
In 2019, her BBC Four feature-length documentary Nature’s Turtle Nursery - Inside the Nest revealed for the first time the extraordinary incubation and hatching of eggs inside an olive ridley turtle nest during a mass nesting event in Costa Rica and was shortlisted for a prestigious Grierson Award.
Network credits include: BBC, ITV, Channel 5, Sky Nature, Smithsonian Channel, AMC Networks, Discovery Channel, National Geographic Channel.
Hayley's work on a range of factual series has involved close collaboration with wildlife researchers, rescuers, vets, rangers, conservationists and presenters to tell often complex stories in an accessible way. Her most recent collaboration is with Heal Rewilding at their grassland site for nature recovery in Somerset.
Coming soon...
Filmed exclusively on site at Heal Somerset, this new 25-minute documentary explores how Heal Rewilding is embarking on an ambitious mission to transform a former livestock farm into a resilient haven for wildlife recovery. As the charity enters its second year on the farm in 2024, the film charts its dramatic challenges, makes remarkable discoveries and reveals some astounding new arrivals, proving already that when you give nature space, it really can begin to bounce back.
With England currently one of the most nature-depleted countries on Earth, the challenge to restore biodiversity and kickstart nature recovery has never been more urgent.
With England currently one of the most nature-depleted countries on Earth, the challenge to restore biodiversity and kickstart nature recovery has never been more urgent.
The film is a collaboration between Planethouse Productions and Pictus Productions. Directed and produced by Tom Francome and Hayley Smith.
