Rob Drewett
British wildlife cameraman and technology entrepreneur
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Rob Drewett is a British wildlife cameraman and technology entrepreneur. He is the co-founder and chief executive of Motion Impossible, a UK company that develops remote camera platforms, and the co-developer (with product design engineer Andy Nancollis) of the AGITO modular robotic camera dolly system for film and television production.[2][3] In 2025, Drewett and Nancollis were named recipients of the Television Academy's Engineering, Science & Technology Emmy Award for the development of the AGITO Dolly System.[1][4][5][6]
Rob Drewett | |
|---|---|
| Occupations | Wildlife cameraman; technology entrepreneur |
| Years active | 2000s–present |
| Organization(s) | Motion Impossible (co-founder and CEO) |
| Known for | Co-developing the AGITO modular robotic camera dolly system |
| Awards | Engineering, Science & Technology Emmy Award (2025)[1] |
Career
Drewett began his career as an underwater and wildlife cameraman, including work with the BBC Natural History Unit on series such as Planet Earth II and Africa.[7] Seeking new ways to move cameras safely and smoothly, he experimented early with gimbals and remote platforms.[7]
In 2014 Drewett co-founded Motion Impossible with product design engineer Andy Nancollis to commercialise remote, stabilised camera systems that evolved from their wildlife work, including the Mantis (later the M-Series) and the AGITO family of modular dollies.[2][3]
Drewett has used AGITO on broadcast and entertainment productions where crew safety and repeatable camera movement are priorities, including Top Gear sequences that require high-speed tracking shots.[8]
Motion Impossible
Drewett co-founded Motion Impossible in 2014 with product design engineer Andy Nancollis to commercialise remote, stabilised camera systems developed from their natural history work, evolving from the BuggyCam into the Mantis/M-Series and, in 2019, the modular AGITO dolly family (including the Sports, Trax and MagTrax drive-ends).[9][10] The MagTrax guidance system had its U.S. launch at the NAB Show in April 2022 in partnership with Vū Studios and AbelCine, with Drewett describing it as a key step for AGITO operability.[11] His systems have been adopted on broadcast and drama sets; for example, AGITO was used to stage a major stunt in Line of Duty series 6 and to capture high-speed tracking shots on Top Gear while improving crew safety.[12][13]
Patents
- Support and stabilization systems (Motion Impossible Ltd). Inventors: Andrew Nancollis; Robert (Rob) Drewett. International publication date 23 May 2019.[14]
- Support and stabilization systems (Motion Impossible Ltd). Inventors: Andrew Nancollis; Robert (Rob) Drewett. US patent granted 28 December 2021.[15]
Selected credits
| Year | Title | Role / notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Desert Seas | Selected to work on the documentary with the BBC Natural History Unit. | [16] |
| 2013 | Africa | Filmed a rock python sequence; used moving camera techniques. | [16] |
| 2014 | Hidden Kingdoms | Credited among series photographers. | [17] |
| 2016 | Planet Earth II | Shot the Madagascar locust super-swarm sequence using a handheld gimbal. | [18][19] |
| 2018 | Big Cats | Filmed high-speed cheetah tracking shots with a remote buggy and stabilised head (with Andy Nancollis). | [20][21] |
| 2020s | Top Gear | Cameraman operating the head while AGITO captured high-speed sequences (e.g., Aston Martin Victor at Dunsfold). | [13][22] |
AGITO
AGITO is a modular robotic dolly platform designed to operate free-roaming, on track, overhead or guided by magnetic tape (MagTrax), providing stabilised, repeatable moves from very slow to vehicle speeds in studio and location environments.[23][24][25] The system has been profiled and demonstrated widely at industry shows including NAB, IBC and Cine Gear.[3]