Matthew Vella

Media advisory in Malta, location scout and fixer for TV, commercials and photoshoots.

Your trustworthy ear to the ground.

About

A former Executive Editor at MaltaToday (2012-2023), I am a journalist, bespoke fixer, and location-scout, able and willing to deliver on tight timelines and budgets for television crews, news productions, and commercial projects in Malta. Having worked at every level of the newspaper trade for 23 years, I now run a media advisory for select clients.

Over two decades of experience in investigative journalism, editorial leadership, and media production have equipped me to provide immediate benefits to any client seeking clarity on media strategy, high-quality publications, or guidance on TV and photoshoot productions in Malta.

Building on a passion for history, politics, and the arts, I channel these
interests into crafting impactful media strategies and facilitating small TV and news shoots in Malta.

My deep industry knowledge and extensive network is key to the reliable, smooth, and trustworthy service I offer to media organisations and production houses.

Get in touch

Awards

My journalistic work has been twice honoured by the Institute of Maltese Journalists (IĠM), crowning a 23-year career that was both challenging and rewarding.

Institute of Maltese Journalists (IĠM)

Best Print Journalism Story Award

Malta could foot €100 million bill if Steward contract rescinded by court

2023

Institute of Maltese Journalists (IĠM)

Best Investigative Story Award (shared with Times of Malta colleagues)

Malta’s mystery: gangland wars and no justice

2023

Services

Driven by curiosity and a commitment to excellence, I approach every
project I work on with a ‘can-do’ attitude, leveraging my experience, resourcefulness, and contacts, to better serve my clients’ needs.

Get in touch

01

Location Scouting & Fixer Service

Each village in Malta has a local council that expects to issue permits for filming, but certain locations can be managed by a central government authority. This makes it a daunting prospect for anyone coming from abroad. I take care of the paperwork for you and negotiate local bureaucracy all ahead of your shoot.
With 20 years’ experience in investigative journalism, I can identify great contributors, find compelling story ideas and get access to stunning locations, scout locations and pre-interview contributors, providing you with photos and video to help you focus your pre-production research before you arrive.
I have good working relationships with casting companies and rental companies around to source equipment hire, tailor transport options to your needs, and negotiate good hotel rates.

Location Scouting & Fixer Experience

Since 2012, I have provided fixer services for SBS (Australia) for Who Do You Think You Are?, Channel 4 (UK), DR (Denmark), CBC (France), SWR (Germany), Yle/Mediawan (Finland) and many other independent producers, whether they are working on news stories, assessing Malta as a potential film site, filming commercials in Malta, or for photoshoots where Malta is on the list for fashion catalogues or similar.

02

Media Advisory

I offer media and PR advisory for clients who seek well-crafted English and Maltese-language copy and reports, or outreach to any of the major media outlets. My extensive knowledge of and familiarity with the Maltese media landscape and its personalities, are of immense benefit my clients and empowers them to reach out and communicate their stories and points of view.

Experience in Media Advisory

I have worked with private industry and other stakeholders in crafting press releases, op-eds, communication strategies, and media-buying.

I publish my tips on media here on my website.

03

Freelance journalism & research

I put my journalistic instincts and experience to good use in providing a bespoke service for content creation, editing, proofreading, and design of various publications, as well as research services on any number of topics, whether of journalistic and news interest, or otherwise. Check out my writing portfolio (not PR) from my journalism archive at my Substack.

Journalistic Experience

In the 23 years I spent as a journalist, my focus spanned from political writing and investigative reporting, to incisive essays on Maltese social, cultural and current affairs.

I was Executive Editor of MaltaToday between 2013 and 2024, where I shaped the publication’s unique editorial voice, led its digital transition, and helped redefine traditional newspaper design in Malta.

04

Design & Production

I offer publication design advice and consulting that rooted in real-world practice, as well as executive producer services, video production, editing and subtitling services.

Design & Production Experience

Having led MaltaToday’s editorial design team with various newspaper redesigns and magazine design, I gained invaluable experience in the area; a sample of my newspaper design can be seen here. I’ve served as executive producer on various productions including Maltin Bħalek, From The Fringe, and Minsija, presented the parliamentary news programme Mill-Kamra on national broadcaster TVMNews in 2023/4, and produced a full suite of video productions on behalf of clients and various public and private entities.

Organisations I’ve worked with

Publications

Aside from hundreds of stories, ledes, and investigations, I am also the author of Passport To Vice, the first historical account of Maltese crime in London’s Soho red-light district.

Published in 2022 and drawing on meticulous research from archival documents, police memos, and a comprehensive study of British newspapers spanning five decades, Passport To Vice provides a blow-by-blow account of the operations of the Maltese Syndicate, a criminal outfit that specialised in prostitution, illegal gambling, pornography, and exotic nightclubs in Soho.

AVAILABLE NOW on Amazon Kindle

Buy Passport To Vice from: Agenda – BDL – Horizons

Testimonials

“

We worked for a couple of days with Matthew for a story about water in Malta. He is great fun to work with, knows his way around really well, knows everyone that counts in Malta. In a nutshell, he’s a great fixer; very resourceful. Highly recommended.
Jean Francois BelangerCBC, Radio-Canada (fr)

“

We hired Matthew as a scout of Malta and Gozo. Matthew came extremely well prepared, professional, and thoughtful. He is well versed in the logistical needs of a production and brings a profound knowledge of the islands and their history. His fluency in multiple languages is yet another plus. He comes with the highest of recommendations!
Paolo PilladiWriter-Director, Goodie Goodie Productions

“

I worked with Matthew Vella for a project on migrants crossing the Med. Matthew proved to be an exceptional fixer. He managed to get us an interview with the Home Affairs minister at short notice, and even more remarkably, he got us into two Maltese detention centres, with permission to talk to the detainees and film them. He really did work wonders.
Shafiur RahmanIndependent filmmaker, SRdocs.net

“

I worked with Matthew Vella and I can definitely vouch for him. He did a good and solid job working on two different stories with me on Malta in 2014.
Neils KvaleDanmarks-Radio (DR)

“

Working with Matthew Vella was a pleasure. He’s adept at problem-solving on the fly, whether it’s sourcing hard-to-find locations, managing unexpected logistical challenges, or coordinating with partners to ensure we always have what we need. His positive attitude made our production run smoother and more efficiently.
Meeri HankalaProducer, Mediawan Finland