Documentary by UWE Bristol graduate airs on national television

Hannah Tyson, a UWE Bristol MA Filmmaking graduate, is celebrating the broadcast of her documentary ‘Jazzy’s MMA Dream’, which has aired on CBBC.

The ‘My Life’ documentary follows the journey of Hannah’s 15-year-old niece Jazzy Tyson.

Jazzy is a talented MMA fighter from Liverpool. The film follows Jazz as she trains to represent Team England at the IMMAFs, the biggest MMA competition in the world; she is determined to win gold after winning silver the previous year. Jazz also has Tourette’s and struggled at school so is now homeschooled. She discovered once she started training that the gym helped her condition.

Hannah has been filming Jazz for six years and the film features this archive footage showing her journey to becoming one of the best in the world.

Hannah said: “I've been following Jazzy's journey for so long and it feels amazing that we now get to share it widely. It's been my dream to get it on TV since I started filming her as I could see the potential, so it feels a bit surreal still.

“It's also been my dream to be a filmmaker since I was about 15 so for my first broadcast film to be about my niece who I adore is even more special to me.”

Hannah studied MA Documentary Screen Production (now MA Filmmaking) at UWE Bristol and her final film for her course ‘Fight Like a Tyson’ followed her niece as she attempted another MMA world title. The film was longlisted for the Student BAFTA awards in 2024 and was noticed by a local film production company which pitched it to CBBC, securing Hannah’s first commission as a self-shooting producer director on ‘Jazzy’s MMA Dream’.

Hannah added: “My time at UWE Bristol was great. I felt connected to the TV industry even though I wasn't in it yet, as we had teachers, mentors and seminars delivered by people who were industry professionals. To be able to get feedback from executive producers who had worked on huge broadcast programmes was invaluable. It gave us the chance to build our confidence in pitching our ideas and answering questions concisely and effectively. So, when this became my reality two years later, on a video call to the BBC with over 20 people on it, I felt prepared.” 

The film became Hannah’s calling card and helped her get a job as Shooting researcher on the BBC Two documentary 'The Moors Murders: A Search for Justice'.

“I approached one of the executive producers after her seminar and asked if I could have her email address to stay in touch and meet up for a cup of tea sometime,” added Hannah. “This led to us meeting up a few times, getting advice for my CV, helping her to research new ideas to pitch to broadcasters and then she gave me a reference to my employer for the BBC Two job. So, the course gave me these amazing opportunities, but you really do have to be proactive in taking the feedback on board and making the connections which can help you to land a job.

“I also managed to get another job outside of the TV industry as a video content creator at a brilliant independent journalism company called Bristol24/7. This job is great because I am using my filming and editing skills every day making adverts and some short films while getting the chance to get to know the vibrant Bristol community. Everything you do that can help to build your confidence, your portfolio, your connections and your creative ideas is all worth investing in.”

Stuart Mitchell, Associate Director of Filmmaking at UWE Bristol, said: “Hannah is a very passionate and talented filmmaker. You could see immediately that this film had great potential, and we are thrilled she has been able to make it into a BBC film with the help of Longtail Films.”