Why me, why now & what for?
I put this page together in response to the most common questions I am asked on Twitter. It’s impossible to answer the questions properly with only 140 characters so here were are!
If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to ask me either in the comments box below or at mike_nicholson@hotmail.co.uk
If you are not following me on Twitter, please do so @HillsboroughDoc
Why me?
I am a life-long Liverpool fan with a northern soul, but a southern ass! I started going to Liverpool away games in London in the late 80’s and my friend actually wrote the club to enquire after tickets for the semi-final on 15th April 1989. We hadn’t even been to Anfield at that point, so it was a ridiculous request in hindsight, but it turned out to be some of the very best bad luck I’ve ever had.
I used to manage the video advertising business for a national, quality newspaper website. That is where I developed my interest in video production. I used to write about Hillsborough on forums, under the name RedMike86, but when I started to learn about online video I knew I had an opportunity to create something truthful, that would be available for future generations.
Hillsborough affected me, as I feel that Liverpool fans are one big family. It makes be so angry when I think of the cover-up and lies told by the police & media, and I now have the ability, in some small way, to help educate some people about the real truth of Hillsborough.
Where will it be shown?
It will be on this blog first, and I will tweet the link when its uploaded. Follow me on @hillsboroughdoc if you’re not already for updates. Using the power of online video and social media, I intend to generate a sizeable audience over many, many years. I have also had offers of support from the media, which I hope will also generate a significant audience.
Why now?
I only developed a passion for video, and I could only afford to buy the equipment in the last three years, so it is a lucky coincidence that my ability to produce the documentary coincided with the Hillsborough Independent panel reporting on September 12th. This report will generate press interest, which will intern bring Hillsborough to the front of the public’s mind. I hope to use that renewed interest, via Google, to help people find my documentary online.
I am already seeing a spike in traffic that is coming from search engines, and after the 12th September I expect that to sky-rocket, so it is a good time to release the documentary.
Who have I spoken to?
The story will be told primarily by those who were there that day, but I also intent to include the bereaved families, leading experts in their field, fans who had experiences of Hillsborough’s Leppings Lane previously and of course the Hillsborough Family Support Group, the Hillsborough Justice Campaign and Hope for Hillsborough organisations.
I have contacted all three of the previously mentioned organisations, and I hope to be able to get interviews from all three.
What do I hope to achieve?
When a TV production company produces a program, it is broadcast, shown for a limited time online and then locked away. There are rights issues, and the TV companies tend to keep the programming out of the public domain as a result. It is my intention to produce something factual & compelling that can be available to anybody in the world, at any time and forever. I like the idea that future generations will be able to find my documentary, and will learn the real truth from those who know best.
Who’s paying?
I purposely set out to create this on my own, and I have not and will not accept a penny for the finished documentary. I’m funding the costs myself, because I want it to be pure and true, and money has a way of changing that vision. It will be free to all, forever, I promise you that.
