“So this man was not only a testament to science, he was also a testament to what was going on socially in the United States of America.” - Ross Kemp

Ross Kemp: Facing danger, finding truth

When you think of Ross Kemp, you probably picture the EastEnders hardman character of Grant Mitchell. However, since leaving Albert Square behind, Ross has produced BAFTA award-winning series and documentaries, including ‘Gangs’ and ‘Ross Kemp in Afghanistan’. He runs his own production company, Freshwater Films.

Ross has written five books and is a Sunday Times best-selling author. He’s seen enough violence and danger up close to last a lifetime, but still he continues to travel the world, filming in locations such as Pakistan, Syria, Iraq and Ukraine. He’s about to start filming his one hundred and twenty-sixth documentary.

Always the actor

Born and raised in Essex, Ross grew up with a policeman for a father and his hairdresser mum. Ross figured out at an early age, living in that quiet street, that performing to people (family and friends) reaped rewards; admittedly, in the early days, it was only Opal Fruits, but that meant a lot to a kid in those days!

Going to drama school led to a job making military training videos, which would stand him in good stead for his later career. He got the part as Grant Mitchell in 1989, which catapulted him into the limelight. However, given that his brother also produced the Panorama documentary series, perhaps it wasn’t such a leap for Ross to move into documentaries himself when he left EastEnders.

Clear and present danger

Ross’s first foray into what would be his signature work was a trip to Los Angeles, California, where he met a gang member who had been shot 23 times. Before the meeting, Ross didn’t believe that someone could still be alive after receiving that amount of injuries - he was intrigued.

The trip totally changed his view, and what he saw during his time in California made him realise that the general perception held by most of the world about these people and the way they lived was very different to the reality. Most of them were just scared for their lives, living in poor conditions and trying to make ends meet. As Ross said,

“So this man was not only a testament to science, he was also a testament to what was going on socially in the United States of America.”

After the meeting, he approached Sky to pitch an idea for a series. ‘Ross Kemp on Gangs’ would go on to earn him a BAFTA for ‘Best Factual Series’; his documentary career was off and running.

Ross has filmed in some of the worst conditions, all in the name of making hard-hitting documentaries. In Afghanistan, he was living alongside the British military, experiencing bombings, and being in real danger of being shot or blown up. It was the making of him as a man and a documentary maker, but he also became almost addicted to the adrenaline of being in a warzone.

He would get calls to head down to RAF Brize Norton at short notice, to travel and film around the world. He’s faced the Taliban, he’s run with gangs, and he’s been trained to use deadly weapons. He’s survived helicopter crashes, mortar attacks, and being held at gunpoint. He’s been faced with child victims of violence, who go on to perpetrate violence against others, and he has faced some of the world’s deadliest creatures.

What makes him carry on?

"I've lived for ten years of my life pretending to be something in a pretend world. While I'm around, I want to see what the real world is like. If I can explain this, show that to other people by using the skills I've honed over the last ten years, then I'll do it. And I'm still doing it.”

Lessons in business from the
front line

Ross admitted that, for a time, he used alcohol to deal with the trauma of what he’s experienced on his travels. These days, he prefers talking about his experiences, rather than leaving them at the bottom of a bottle.

Now he has a family, Ross practices the TRIM method: Trauma and Risk Management, which he learned about during his second tour of Afghanistan with the British Army. He believes that anyone in business can use it.

TRIM involves discussing your interpretation of a day or event with your colleagues, to give your version of events and how you saw them. This allows everyone to see a different perspective and nips any resentment in the bud.
This approach also helps with PTSD.

Ross also has three strategies that he lives by as a documentary maker and a businessman:

• always have an exit strategy,

• have the right equipment for the job,

• and always listen to others.

He swears by not judging people and believes that honesty is always the best policy, because people can smell a liar a mile off.

Perhaps one of the most valuable pieces of advice from Ross is to know your bottom line and stick to it. Don’t give your time away for free or undervalue your worth. That’s something we can get totally onboard with!