Matthew Vella

01

• 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

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

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

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.