Off The Fence hires Debbie Hinningan to lead natural history

Debbie Hinnigan

My Octopus Teacher outfit Off The Fence (OTF)  has appointed former BBC exec Debbie Hinningan as its head of natural history.

Hinnigan will be based out of OTF’s Bristol office in the UK and will oversee all operations for the natural history production team, which has produced content for companies including National Geographic, Discovery, Love Nature, ZDF and Arte.

My Octopus Teacher

She previously worked on flagship children’s shows such as Blue Peter and Going Live! for the BBC before joining its famed Natural History Unit in Bristol, where she worked across its wildlife and adventure programming.

Since then, she has created and worked on both short form and long form programmes for terrestrial and international broadcasters.

Allison Bean, MD at ZDF Enterprises-owned OTF, said: “This fantastic genre is growing and Off The Fence very much looks forward to producing future content, adding Debbie’s huge talent and experience to our production team.”

Hinnigan added: “I am looking forward to building on Off the Fence’s incredible reputation and bringing more unique animal stories to a wider audience. I am excited to bring my passion for good storytelling to Off the Fence’s wildlife content.”

OTF was founded in 1994 and develops, finances, produces and co-produces across genres including science, travel & adventure, lifestyle, history and natural history. It was acquired by ZDFE in 2019.