Andrew Chater

Andrew Chater is a contemporary educator who creates inspiring journeys through past and present cultures.

He is a multi award-winning writer, producer, director and presenter of historical documentaries, specializing in broadcast and online humanities resources for schools and colleges. He was the creator of Timelines TV, a historical online resource for British schools, and is currently the creative director of Bookpackers, a US-based literature / travel venture.

He is a Professor of the Practice in the Faculty of English at the University of Southern California.

A graduate of Cambridge University, Andrew joined the BBC in 1988, where he worked until leaving in 1996 to set up his own independent production company, Lodestar Productions.  He balanced his work at Lodestar with freelance commissions for London-based indies Wall to Wall, Change Productions, October Films, and Nutopia. He is the winner of six BAFTA awards.

In 2011, Andrew relocated to Los Angeles with his wife Louise, a film executive.  Since 2014, Andrew has been working with USC to design a series of immersive learning experiences for students, based on the idea of exploring literature on location - an experience he calls ‘bookpacking’. He leads students on Bookpacking trips to New Orleans, Los Angeles and New Mexico. In 2022, Andrew is leading his first European-based experience, bookpacking ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ in London and Paris.

Andrew and Louise are parents to Flo and Ollie. They share their lives with a characterful hairball called Alfie.