We always love seeing one of our Little Dotters shine! Charlie Zarrabi, one of our Creative Producers at Little Dot, has been selected as a 2025 Visionary by the TV Foundation.
It’s superb recognition for his talent and hard work at Little Dot. As part of the accolade, he and the other Visionaries will attend creative debates and bespoke sessions, pitching a Channel 4 Random Acts proposal, live to an audience and panel of judges. They’ll also gain access to valuable networking opportunities with professionals from across the industry.
We caught up with Charlie to hear more about his journey into production and what he’s most excited about for the future.
Congratulations, Charlie! How did it feel when you found out you’d been named a 2025 Visionary?
"Elated! Me and my daughter had a dance party. Then I saw the price of the train fare.
I’m really excited, not just to take part, but to meet everyone, hear from the leaders, ask questions, learn from people and, of course, eat a macaroni pie."
Can you tell us a bit about your journey into the media and creative industry, and how you landed at Little Dot?
"After uni, I knew I wanted to make stuff. A lot of my friends wanted to act, but I realised the real joy for me was making something from scratch. I was lucky enough to get onto the Advantage Scheme at IMG. I was one of four trainees thrown into every part of production. I was awful at most of it.
But they had a tiny development team, and that’s where I met the superstars Jon Peck and Bob Massie, who introduced me to development. It all clicked. This was what I’d been looking for.
They asked me to cut a sizzle reel. I said “Oh yeah, easy.” I had no idea what I was doing. I stayed overnight in the office, badly stitching together random clips. It was genuinely terrible, but I think they saw the passion and kept me on.
From there, I moved job to job, working with people who knew how to make big ideas real. I got to make my own ideas real too. I’ve developed documentaries that helped change the law, reality series made across multiple countries, and reworked some of the biggest formats on television.
Eventually, I realised I wasn’t really watching TV anymore. I was watching social content more than anything else. I wanted to make the things I actually engaged with. So I made the jump and landed at Little Dot the day after my birthday. It’s the best place I’ve ever worked."
What’s been one of your proudest achievements at Little Dot so far?
"Convincing half the building Paul Mescal was coming in for a shoot, April Fools’ Day. Remembering people sprinting over trying to look in the windows of The Lab (one of our meeting rooms) still makes me laugh.
But really, it’s creating People Like Us, our Disabled and Neurodiverse employee group. I’m proud to champion colleagues and help make Little Dot, and the wider industry, a better place to work for people like us."
How would you describe your creative style or approach to storytelling?
"I’m a generalist. I don’t really belong to a fandom, but I love finding out what makes people love their thing. I usually approach brands or subjects as an outsider. That perspective helps me make things that aren’t just for the superfans. I always want the thing to be as fun to watch as it is to make. I like telling stories from the outside looking in, but also from the inside looking out."
Where do you find inspiration for your work? Platforms, people, formats, memes?
"I studied clown as a module in my first year of uni, then again for a year in the Czech Republic. After graduating, it was either go to clown school or try to become a producer. Whether I’m either of those depends on who you ask. One of the foundations of clowning is le jeu - the play, the game. That’s stuck with me ever since. It’s the starting point for everything I make.
There’s fun in everything if you find it. Someone out there loves that, and if you dial into it, you can make it as fun to watch for the superfan as the new viewer.
But I’ve also learned to really like rules. Working with brands that have strict boundaries can be a creative gift. When you know exactly what you can’t do, it pushes you to think differently about what you can."
What do you think is the biggest shift happening in digital content and entertainment right now?
"We’ve already seen the end of traditional TV (RIP), but what’s more interesting is what comes next. As the intergenerational TV audience moves online, they’ll reshape the digital space too. I think we’re just starting to see how that plays out.
I also love seeing the older generation becoming creators. All you need is a phone. You don’t have to pitch, wait for permission, or tap dance in a commissioner’s office. That freedom is exciting. There are so many brilliant people out there. It’s like the punk scene, but it’s grandad telling you how to make dinner from back in the day."
What’s a dream project or story you’d love to bring to life in the next few years?
"Right now, I’d love to create something that uses spatial audio or binaural sound. Something that fully immerses the viewer, not just visually but physically. Something you feel as much as you watch. In the next few years, maybe an interview format the viewer could step into and ask their own questions."
How do you hope to use your platform as a Visionary to influence change or champion new voices?
"The best people I’ve worked with are always the ones who felt most out of place in this industry. And the best ideas I’ve ever heard have usually come from people who don’t work in it at all.
If I can open the door a little wider, or make it easier for someone else to sneak in, then I’ll feel like I’ve done something worthwhile."
About Visionaries
Visionaries is part of the TV Foundation, the charity behind Edinburgh TV Festival. They have a mission to make TV open to all — where new perspectives, ideas and stories thrive.
About Little Dot
Little Dot Studios is an award winning social media agency, multi-platform production company and digital media network. It distinguishes itself through its comprehensive offering as a social media agency and the world’s leading YouTube specialists for some of the biggest entertainment, sports, and consumer brands.