Semifinalist, 2026/2027 Top Tier Competition
BIO
Rupert was born in Oxford, England. Obsessed by Indiana Jones, he read Archaeology at Cambridge University, specialising in Ancient Egypt and the Maya of Central America. Fieldwork involved spending months in the jungle, where he worked closely with indigenous Maya.
With a plan to combine academia with making TV documentaries, Rupert ended up as a Development Executive at Endemol, where he went from ancient culture to popular culture. He contributed to hit reality TV shows like Big Brotherand wrote non-scripted formats involving chefs, property experts, pets or pop stars (sadly not all in one show). It was the early 2000s and anti-globalisation protests were all the rage. Intrigued by a link between an indigenous resistance group in Mexico and anarchists in his East London neighbourhood, he travelled to
Chiapas and met the Zapatistas.
Rupert has drawn on his experience and research to write "The Wooden Man."