Venture into the Lost World…One Minute at a Time
Palaeontology Consultancy: Welcome to The Palaeo Minute your dinosaur dispatch from the Mesozoic frontier. In this edition, I take you behind-the-scenes of my consultancy work, exploring what the process involves and how scientific guidance shapes creative projects. It is an inside look at the research, decision‑making, and communication that bring prehistoric worlds to life.
This edition explores:
- How Consultancy Shapes Science: A behind‑the‑scenes look at tailoring palaeontology for different age groups.
- Science Communication in Practice: Building research packs, selecting fossil stories, & crafting accurate, engaging facts for young viewers.
- Why this Work Matters Today: How consultancy connects geology, deep time, & storytelling.
Did you know?
Palaeontologists spend countless hours examining fossils up close; the tiny ridges, textures, and wear patterns often hold the clues that reveal a species’ identity.
Shaping Science for Real Audiences
If you have explored my Consultancy Services or read through my Case Studies & Impact Portfolio, you will already have a sense of the support I offer across media and publishing. My work focuses on expertise, communication, and outreach that help bring the worlds of dinosaurs to life. Communicating natural history with passion, clarity, and accessibility.
In this edition, I want to share how I approach a consultancy project. This is a look behind-the-scenes at the process that helps ensure accurate and engaging dinosaur content reaches audiences of all ages.
Step One: Know Your Audience
Every project begins with one essential question: Who is the audience? Whether the work involves a children’s dinosaur magazine or a documentary for a general audience, shaping the science to suit the viewers or readers is vital. This is always one of the first discussions I have with a creative team.
In 2025, I was approached to provide palaeontological guidance for the CBBC series Horrible Science on BBC iPlayer. The producers wanted to include accurate science within their comedy scripts, so I created a scientific information pack that the writers could use as a reliable reference.
I was one of several consultants contributing to the series, and it was a pleasure to take the initial brief and develop palaeontology content that would be accessible for a young audience. This included:
- Explaining what palaeontology is.
- Selecting fossil stories with strong narrative hooks.
- Building narrative context by highlighting key figures like Mary Anning.
- Compiling fifteen unusual & interesting palaeontological facts.
By combining established research with new insight, I produced a clear and accessible resource that matched the creative needs of the show. The result was a toolkit of dinosaur information that supported imaginative storytelling while remaining scientifically accurate.
Why I Enjoy This Work
Consultancy is more than checking facts. It is about connecting science with storytelling. It is rewarding to help spark curiosity, to make complex ideas feel alive, and to show that palaeontology is not only about fossils but also about understanding Earth’s deep past.
I have had many opportunities to inspire the next generation of scientists, and this project was no exception. Dinosaurs are often a child’s first introduction to science. For me, that early interest led to studying Geography at A-Level and at University, and later specialising in Palaeobiology at Masters level. I was fascinated by the physical processes of geology, such as earthquakes, tectonics, and volcanoes, and how they shaped our planet and its ancient inhabitants.
Palaeontology is closely connected to geology and covers Earth’s 4.5 billion year history. It links extinct life with the environments those organisms once inhabited. Through consultancy and media outreach, I aim to make these vast concepts understandable and exciting for audiences of all ages.
Media plays a significant role in this. Horrible Science is a strong example of how scientific ideas can be made accessible to young viewers through humour and creativity.
The Value of Consultancy Today
My consultancy services have grown from the many projects I have contributed to over the years. From fact-checking to helping shape a creator’s vision for a dinosaur-themed project, consultancy is a collaborative process. It allows scientists and creatives to work together to communicate accurate information to audiences who may not have encountered it before.
Science communication is not only the act of sharing information. It is an art form. My mission is to drive curiosity, deepen understanding, and make palaeontology an unforgettable experience. It involves sparking imagination, bringing extinct worlds to life, and helping people picture the environments that long vanished organisms once called home.
Consultancy is one of the key ways I share palaeontology with wider audiences. The Palaeo Minute is another, offering dinosaur enthusiasts a grounded understanding of how palaeontology works, from fossil discoveries to the research that unlocks the secrets of ancient bones.
My website also acts as a hub of palaeontological insight, bringing together research highlights, fieldwork stories, and educational resources. Across every platform, I create, curate, and refine content designed to spark curiosity, support learning, and celebrate the joy of discovering something new.
If you are developing a project involving Mesozoic life, I would be glad to help ensure it is both scientifically accurate and creatively compelling. You can get in touch at the button below.
I respond personally to all enquiries.
Thanks for venturing into the Mesozoic with me—see you next edition!
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Header image Horrible Science logo. Image credit: Science Museum, 2026.
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