Hot Shots 2025: Jecca Powell

Jecca Powell was plunged straight into the deep end when she got her break working with the legendary Norma Percy on Trump Takes On The World, a project that tasked her with securing access to political power players and their inner circles across the globe.

Powell clearly learned from the best. Swiftly rising from researcher to assistant producer, she then became a producer on another Brook Lapping production, Afghanistan: Getting Out, where her calm authority and persuasive approach helped to navigate a hugely politically sensitive story featuring contributions from senior Taliban officials and former US secretaries of defence. She was also development producer on another of the indie’s blue-chip BBC series, Putin vs The West.

Thanks to her editorial depth, diplomatic skill and emotional intelligence, Powell has since racked up credits on multi-award-winning docs tackling stories of global significance. These include Wonderhood Studios’ C4 series Evacuation, on which she met with military personnel and Afghan evacuees, and worked with directors James Newton and Sam Santana to shape the final cut.

But her proudest achievement so far has been securing interviews with Ukraine’s President Zelensky and First Lady Olena, as well as global leaders, for 72 Films’ BBC2 series The Zelensky Story, on which she edit produced a key episode.

Next up, Powell is stepping up to produce/ direct a major new Nat Geo series.

Ella Wright, a director at 72 Films, praises Powell’s “razor-sharp intelligence and strong journalistic instincts, which make her a gifted storyteller and a brilliant PD”.