James Smith oversees all of Plimsoll’s adventure and live content . In January 2026, James teamed up with Alex Honnold on Netflix’s Skyscraper Live, securing access to Taipei 101 and working with the world’s best rigging and high-angle camera teams to bring this epic climb to a huge global audience.
James has worked extensively with Alex Honnold across a number of premium adventure projects. He recently delivered The Devil’s Climb to National Geographic/Disney+, which documents Alex Honnold’s and Tommy Caldwell’s daring climb in Alaska, and oversaw Arctic Ascent with Alex Honnold for National Geographic/Disney+.
Over James’s 10 years at Plimsoll, he has overseen a range of series in challenging environments, including the ground-breaking Patagonia – Life on the Edge of the World for CNN. He was also co-executive producer on Earth Live and Yellowstone Live for National Geographic, and was one of the leads on ITV’s Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters.
Before joining Plimsoll, James began his career at the BBC’s Natural History Unit, working on the acclaimed anthropological series Tribe. He was part of the BAFTA-winning team that made Amazon with Bruce Parry and directed the follow-up series on the Arctic. He has trekked with herders in Afghanistan, fished with shark hunters in the South Pacific and led expeditions in the Congo Basin and Alaska for BBC1 and Discovery respectively. James was also the showrunner for the BBC’s live wildlife series Springwatch.