Looking for fees and availability for Russ Malkin?

Keynote SpeakerRuss Malkin

Producer/director, adventurer, author, founder and owner of Big Earth Productions and Green Britain TV

Popular Talks

Unleash your team’s creativity for success
Leadership: an adventure mindset leads to the greatest rewards
Cultivating a positive team spirit
The Highs and Lows of Adventure Travel and Filmmaking
A Masterclass In Adventure Film-Making

More talks

Request Fees & Availabilities

One of our consultants will get back to you soon

Biography

Russ Malkin has achieved international acclaim and success as a producer and director of adventure travel series and documentaries. He has worked with high-profile celebrities and national heroes including film stars Ewan McGregor, Anna Friel and Joe Fiennes, sporting icon David Beckham, the legendary explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Prince Harry and singer-songwriter Joss Stone. For over 30 years Russ has been breaking boundaries with his adventure escapades across the globe to create fun, engaging content for some of the biggest names in broadcasting from the BBC, SKY, ITV, National Geographic, the Discovery Channel to Amazon Prime and Apple TV +.

Russ’ energetic and pioneering spirit has been a staple of his work. His playful and witty sense of humour, is underpinned with an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the sometimes complex world of TV production. With over 35 years in the industry, Russ helms the ship from concept development to post-production, his hands-on approach leaves no stone unturned and the quality of his productions are testimony to his drive and determination. Russ’ passion for charity and humanitarian work sees him align his projects with charities such as UNICEF to shine a light on the incredible work they do. He has raised millions of pounds for incredibly worthy causes including the child soldiers in Uganda and the victims of landmines.

Russ’ lifelong love for motorcycles led to undoubtedly his most successful and well known series The Long Way Round, Down and Up. A chance encounter with a fellow motorbike enthusiast, Charley Boorman, who dreamt of travelling the world on his motorcycle with his best mate, Ewan McGregor, set in motion the wheels to an epic motorcycle adventure. A few weeks later when Russ and the boys got together in London a plan was hatched to embark on a journey across the globe. Russ’ team captured the highs and lows of these three extraordinary trips. Long Way has transported audiences across 48,000 miles, 43 countries and 5 continents showcasing the boys enduring friendship driving them on through the good times and the bad. This global TV success story has spawned best-selling DVDs, books and soundtracks. It has been broadcast in over 40 countries worldwide and in 2020 it began streaming globally to a billion devices on Apple TV+.

Russ Malkin’s appetite to push the boundaries is reflected in the repertoire of his work but it is his charisma and energy that has led him to be a favourite at speaking events throughout the country. A natural storyteller, in his talks Russ draws analogies between the difficult situations he has encountered while shooting in some of the toughest and most remote terrains on the planet and the challenges faced in the work environment today. His engaging talks are filled with personal anecdotes and sensible ideas that are both practical and actionable, and have motivated and inspired audiences to unleash their greatness. His success has been linked with an inherent understanding of what is needed to succeed.

Russ Malkin can present on a variety of different topics, sharing dramatic and fascinating stories of success and failure, his philosophies on successful leadership and his take on the importance of creativity and teamwork in the modern workplace. Whether he is transporting the audience to the jungles of Papua New Guinea, the Pyramid of Giza or indeed the boardrooms of Apple TV + he’s sure to keep you entertained and asking for more…

Popular Talks by Russ Malkin

Unleash your team’s creativity for success
Russ draws on his personal experiences as a filmmaker, adventurer, leader and accomplished business person to illustrate the importance of developing both individual and team creativity in the modern working environment. He recounts the profound impact this action has had on his company’s success and brand. Creativity has been the...

Russ draws on his personal experiences as a filmmaker, adventurer, leader and accomplished business person to illustrate the importance of developing both individual and team creativity in the modern working environment. He recounts the profound impact this action has had on his company’s success and brand. Creativity has been the cornerstone of everything that Russ has achieved, regardless of the size and scale of the project, it has always started with a simple idea.

For Russ the importance of developing a creative culture is paramount to having a motivated and engaged team behind you. Russ has always encouraged others to think and act creatively whether on the road or in the production office, in doing so he created a dynamic working environment with an empowered team that excelled, whatever the challenge. Russ truly believes that even if an idea is not developed or proves unsuccessful, it must never be seen as a failure but rather one step closer to success. His innate understanding of the need to embrace creativity in all its forms, while simultaneously grounding it in reality, has undoubtedly contributed to his career’s longevity and success.
Leadership: an adventure mindset leads to the greatest rewards
Russ has combined creating successful adventure travel documentaries for global broadcasters with helming the ship of a production company for over 30 years now. As a leader, Russ wants to inspire people to find the passion within themselves. He has led teams halfway around the world to some of the...

Russ has combined creating successful adventure travel documentaries for global broadcasters with helming the ship of a production company for over 30 years now. As a leader, Russ wants to inspire people to find the passion within themselves. He has led teams halfway around the world to some of the most inhospitable and dangerous locations on the planet. At other times his leadership has come from behind his desk as the production team mapped out their next adventure. Leadership from the front but also from behind makes the work place not only productive but also more fun as it allows the team to blossom. Having an empowered team will cultivate a stronger work environment, not just necessary but crucial in today’s working climate.

Russ will share his unique perspective on leadership that enables your team to perform at an optimal level. He highlights the need for clear, shared goals and effective communication to work towards positive outcomes. Russ will discuss the importance of training and nurturing talent. His approach is defined not by delegation but by involving team members in the decision process. Giving responsibility to your team and having confidence in them to make hard decisions even when you are not there will keep them moving forward with favourable results. Ownership of responsibility evokes a greater desire to succeed. Finally Russ emphasises the importance of having an adventurer mindset and “being brave”. Adventurous leaders are motivated by obstacles as opposed to turning away from them and with this fearless approach the results are often far more rewarding.
Cultivating a positive team spirit
No matter what the profession, team spirit plays a vital role in performance and success. In Russ’ experience the mood in the camp or office is a vital ingredient in stimulating a ‘can do’ attitude. Working in a team encourages personal growth, increases job satisfaction, and reduces stress. Russ draws...

No matter what the profession, team spirit plays a vital role in performance and success. In Russ’ experience the mood in the camp or office is a vital ingredient in stimulating a ‘can do’ attitude. Working in a team encourages personal growth, increases job satisfaction, and reduces stress. Russ draws parallels with some of his productions, for instance taking David Beckham to play 7 football matches on 7 continents in 7 days where the necessity for team spirit and collaboration was essential to achieving what others may have deemed impossible. Russ had to ensure the team was highly motivated in order to constantly solve the problems and overcome logistical barriers in real time. Without this key ingredient, his team would not have achieved the successful outcome that they did. This production culminated with David Beckham arriving at Old Trafford for the final match where in collaboration with UNICEF, they raised a total of £1 million.

In an era when employers are faced with quiet quitting, Russ makes comparisons with other business environments where it is crucial to have an upbeat team spirit where people actually look forward to meetings that are fun and stimulating where you, the audience, as a leader or a team member can add value with your individual personality as much as your professional ability. Having worked with countless personalities on different and often challenging projects, Russ’ shares his knowledge on how best to create a team spirit that inspires and endures.
The Highs and Lows of Adventure Travel and Filmmaking
Russ recounts his travel adventures with Ewan McGregor, Charley Boorman, David Beckham, Prince Harry, Joss Stone, Charley Speed….. and many more. Introduction: How and why he became a producer/director in the genre of adventure travel. Russ will recount his journey from photographer to film-maker. The Long Way Round, Down...

Russ recounts his travel adventures with Ewan McGregor, Charley Boorman, David Beckham, Prince Harry, Joss Stone, Charley Speed….. and many more.
Introduction: How and why he became a producer/director in the genre of adventure travel. Russ will recount his journey from photographer to film-maker.

The Long Way Round, Down and Up: Meeting Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman for the first time. How they came up with the idea for an epic motorcycle adventure around the world. How they made it happen and the obstacles that they encountered along the way. Fascinating and interesting stories from the trips including eating testicles in Mongolia, crossing flooded rivers in Russia and travelling through South America on electric vehicles.

UNICEF: The involvement of UNICEF in the Long Way series and other shows. Highlighting the good work that they do, Russ will include some touching stories from the various UNICEF projects that they visited all over the world. Examples include his experience meeting the child soldiers in Uganda and also the victims of landmines.

For The Love of the Game with David Beckham: Playing 7 Football Matches on 7 continents in 7 days. Detailing his initial meeting with Simon Fuller, how the project got green-lit on Russ’ advice. Reliving the extraordinary adventure which kicked off in the jungles of Papua New Guinea then on to the temples of Nepal,with a perilous trip to Antarctica for the final, before returning to Beckham’s old stomping ground Old Trafford to play the final match in front of 70,000 people and raising an incredible £1 million for UNICEF.

Prince Harry in Africa: A brief account of Russ’ work with the Duke of Sussex as they revisited Lesotho and shone a light on some of the projects closest to his heart.

By Any Means with Charley Boorman: An adventure show that saw Charley travel by any means using local transport from Wicklow in Ireland all the way to Sydney, Australia taking over 125 forms of transport but avoiding the use of aeroplanes. Russ will share some of the challenges and humorous stories from this long and at times arduous trip where emotions often ran high.
A Masterclass In Adventure Film-Making
Russ shares his unique insight and experience of 40 years in the business, talking through the various steps and processes of filmmaking from concept to post-production whilst sharing some of the high and low points of his fascinating career. Idea Conception: Russ explains how to develop your idea and shape...

Russ shares his unique insight and experience of 40 years in the business, talking through the various steps and processes of filmmaking from concept to post-production whilst sharing some of the high and low points of his fascinating career.

Idea Conception: Russ explains how to develop your idea and shape it into a story that makes logical sense, making sure to engage the viewers on the journey. It will be illustrated with some examples of the origins of some of his best known and exciting projects. A philosophy for the adventure! Identifying the philosophy of your adventure and how to maintain its momentum throughout the film-making process.

Financing your project: Russ talks you through the skills and traits needed to raise funding for a project and the basic groundwork that needs to be done on any project. He then takes you through some key and valuable assets you can create to aid you including pitch documents and promotional videos.

People Skills and Problem Management: Dealing appropriately with the different personalities and egos both in front of and behind the cameras. Troubleshooting and overcoming problems throughout the production process. How to react and get the most from the people around you.

Technology: Making cameras, kit and technology work for you not against you.
The art of storytelling! How to tell a story. Tips on capturing all the key scenes in an authentic and engaging way, from the action filled moments to those where emotions are running high.