10 minutes with… sally fitton

Our Director of TV & Projects, Sally Fitton, has jam-packed her career with epic adventures and experiences.

We grabbed 10 minutes with Sally to learn about the thrill of her work at SC, and to explore the importance of telling daring stories from across the globe.

“You never quite know what is going to come through the door next. It could be
a reality TV show, a news security task, filming spider-tailed snakes in a
hard-to-access desert, or helping people tell stories that are very dangerous
for them to tell…

How did you end up doing what you do?

My first introduction into this industry was as a High-Risk Advisor at the BBC. I worked there for over 4 years supporting BBC staff and responding to a mind-boggling array of projects and incidents.

I started as a classicist – studying Ancient Greek and Latin at university, working in a bookshop during term time and overlanding at every opportunity. I just loved being independent and doing my own thing. I worked as chamber maid, a waitress, bar staff, a salesperson at the mountaineering exhibition at Rheged (to date, still the hardest interview process I’ve been through!), and climbed as much as I could. 

My background as an expedition leader and linguist, and my experience of exploratory mountaineering, and multiple operations, exercises and expeds with the British Army and in the service industry, have all been part of the journey to being at Secret Compass. 

Like many of us, this isn’t a job we’d ever thought of when growing up. I guess it’s really because of a fortuitous hotchpotch of life skills, experience and luck.

What do you love about your work?

The pure variety – never quite knowing what is going to come through the door next. It could be a reality TV show, a news security task, filming spider-tailed snakes in a hard-to-access desert, or helping people tell stories that are very dangerous for them to tell. 

The satisfaction of supporting a project that may have seemed insurmountable at the outset and helping it become reality through the power of Secret Compass teamwork. 

And the Secret Compass team! We are lucky to work with a truly astonishing group of talented people. They are what makes it such an amazing and special place to work. 

Who do you look up to in the adventure TV & Film world?

The local producers and teams that help it all come together on the ground. They’re often trying to do a lot with a little, translating the requirements to make it work without pissing anyone off; truly Herculean in their efforts.   

Why is it so important to tell the stories that come with some risk?

There are many hurdles to overcome for difficult truths to come to light; the fear of repercussion dissuades many. It is important that when someone has the courage to step into the light and tell their side of the story that they aren’t thoughtlessly exposed to life-changing consequences. 

What makes you good at handling risk?

Handling risk isn’t just about what’s on a spreadsheet. To contextualise and clearly communicate risk to the client is vital and this ability comes from practical experience. Time on the ground in conflict areas, working with teams in dangerous, stressful situations on expeditions, and with news crews on location informs the decisions we make and the processes we put in place. I work within the most incredible team who are always there to support, and we see things through a range of different lenses that guide our management of risk.

I’m not driven by ego, and I just get on with whatever it is that we are there to do.  

What would you be doing if you weren’t doing this?

Doing the same thing, but for NGOs. 

What’s your idea of fun?

Being with friends and family outside. My happy place is a long, easy, multi-pitch trad route with a summit somewhere along the journey.

But a decent mountain bike ride or hill dog walk, in classic British weather, with a pint of bitter shandy and a late Sunday lunch comes a close second. 

What’s the greatest challenge you’ve taken on?

Learning how to road bike; it’s going to become second nature any time soon…

Any irrational (or rational) fears?

Being hit by a car whilst getting used to road biking!

Best advice you’ve ever been given and by who?

The value of a good lunch box (Roy Thomas). The importance of keeping your goggles in good nick and in a decent goggle case (Jim Masson). 

Also, “When you need a wee, don’t dither” (Beth Hall Thompson).

Sally’s Secret Compass

Favourite place you’ve ever visited?
Such a difficult question! I will always cherish my very first taste of travelling in Tibet and China, Kangding and the mountains. The Laugavegur trail in Iceland, new routing in the Moroccan Anti-Atlas, Kyrgyzstan’s Tien Shan and Greenland. The paramo in Venezuela, the Karakoram Highway. Gah, too many! 

Somewhere you’ve never been but would like to go?
Top of the list is the Bugaboos with good friends. Also, the Tatra mountains, Persepolis, Bhutan and Sa’ada. 

Best meal you’ve eaten when travelling?
When I was 17 on a trip in Western China we bought and butchered a sheep and cooked it with wild garlic after existing on only broken up ‘fancy’ biscuits for what felt like days! It tasted incredible, but looked awful. Also, some amazing meals with friends in their homes in Kabul. Fellow interpreters cooking food in our accommodation with a pressure cooker, sourcing proper bread and pomegranates from the streets of Kabul, making raita with mint sauce sachets and yoghurt and always sharing. 

Favourite way to travel?
Overlanding on public transport and, if you have the time, by foot or by bike.

For more tales of adventure, follow @secret.compass on Instagram.