Lee Hicken

Lee Hicken (born 1981) is a media entrepreneur, film, television and documentary director/producer and owner of award-winning film company The City Talking, based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. His biggest project to date was a six-part documentary series about Leeds United during the 2018/19 season that was aired on Amazon Prime in August 2019.
== Early life ==
Lee Hicken was born in Leeds in 1981. He later studied Fashion Marketing and Communication at university in Barcelona for three years during his early/mid twenties before returning to England in 2009.
== Major projects ==
=== Music in leeds (2015) ===
Hicken’s first film was Music in Leeds, a documentary made in conjunction with the BBC in 2015 examining the history of the music scene in the city. The film was premiered on December 8, 2015 at Belgrave Music Hall in Leeds with many of the artists who inspired and featured in the film in attendance including the Kaiser Chiefs, Utah Saints, Pigeon Detectives, the Sisters of Mercy and Bridewell Taxis. 
=== Do You Want To Win? (2017) ===
A documentary about Leeds United's renaissance in the early 1990s under Howard Wilkinson entitled 'Do You Want To Win?', released in 2017, continued The City Talking’s shift more towards becoming more a film-based media company. The one-off documentary feature, Do You Want To Win? documents how, in October 1988, Howard Wilkinson laid down a simple challenge to Leeds United, the players and the city. The City Talking's synopsis of the film is: ‘Do You Want To Win? is the story of how Leeds United emerged from the shadows of history and reputation, and by 1992 got back not only what it wanted, but what it deserved. It stars Vinnie Jones, Gordon Strachan, Gary McAllister and Howard Wilkinson.‘, which in the summer of 2018 became available to watch for Prime Video customers across the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the USA.
=== As Good As It Gets? (2018) ===
As Good As It Gets? is the story of the most successful period in Leeds Rhinos’ history, and how a tight knit group of people won multiple Super League Titles, Challenge Cups and World Club Challenges, culminating in the historic treble of 2015. The film stars Kevin Sinfield, Jamie Peacock, Jamie Jones-Buchanan, Brian McDermott, Gary Hetherington and is narrated by actor Matthew Lewis. Lee Hicken, an ardent Rhinos supporter, directed the film and carried out the key interviews himself.
=== Take Us Home: Leeds United (2019) ===
At the start of the 2018-19 season, it was agreed that The City Talking would produce a season-long behind-the-scenes docu-series about Leeds United, entitled Take Us Home: Leeds United. The six-part docu-series aired on Amazon Prime in August 2019 and closely follows Marcelo Bielsa’s team throughout the 2018-19 season, focusing on ‘Spygate’ and detailing how the club handled the fall-out of the now infamous saga. The failed Dan James transfer from Swansea to Leeds in January 2019 also features prominently, including extensive behind-the-scenes footage. Episode one of the series premiered at Everyman cinema in Leeds on August 14, 2019 with the majority of Bielsa’s squad present. Leeds United chief executive Angus Kinnear addressed the audience at the Everyman while Hicken also spoke along with club captain Liam Cooper. The series, which saw The City Talking film in Argentina, Norway and Australia, earned popular acclaim from the club’s global fanbase, despite the team’s failure to earn promotion. The final episode includes a rare exclusive interview with Bielsa, a rarity during his long and distinguished coaching career spanning several decades and continents.
== Filmography ==
Year	Title 	Director	Executive Producer	Notes
2015	The City Talking: Music in Leeds, Vol. 1	Yes 	 	
2017	Do You Want to Win? 	Yes 	Yes 	Released on Amazon Prime.
2018	As Good As It Gets? 	Yes 	 	Released on Amazon Prime.
2019	Take Us Home: Leeds United 	Yes 	Yes 	Amazon Prime Exclusive Series.
2020	Inside Super League 	Yes 	Yes 	Released on Sky Sports.
2020	We Play League 	Yes 	Yes 	Premiere on Sky Sports Main Event. Released on Sky on Demand.
==In the media==
<youtube width="300" height="300">Vl6-5OGukDg</youtube>  
<youtube width="300" height="300">A_PkGgsp7Qg</youtube>
== References ==
==External links==
* Lee Hicken on imdb
* Lee Hicken & Simon Zimmerman, Hebe Works
* Lee Hicken: Movies, TV, and Bio | Prime Video - Amazon.com
* 9 | Interview - Lee Hicken - Buzzsprout
* Lee Hicken: Director and filmmaker
* ‎By the Balls: Episode 81: Lee Hicken on Apple Podcasts
* Episode 81: Lee Hicken - By the Balls (podcast) | Listen Notes
* ‎Films directed by Lee Hicken • Letterboxd
Category:1981 births
Category:English businesspeople
Category:Entrepreneurs
Category:English film producers
Category:English film directors
Category:University of Barcelona alumni
Category:Communication