Historical expertise—combined with a deep, intuitive feel for developing character, backstory, conflict and storytelling
Meet the historian that helps actors, filmmakers, screenwriters & authors understand the past.
Unlike a typical historical advisor…
… who specialises only in a single period, Dr. Barbara can consult on periods ranging from 50 AD to 1990. She has worked on over 130 creative projects ranging from the Roman period, the Middle Ages and the Early Modern era to the 19th and 20th centuries. She can help you research and prepare your next book, script or film.
Barbara works best when brought in at the beginning of a new project. She prefers to work 1:1. Contact her here.
She is a real all-rounder.
Barbara enjoys being challenged, especially when it comes to researching different settings. Her previous projects have been set in locations as diverse as Vermont, Greenland, Samoa, Madeira, Brazil, Australia, Japan and the Seychelles. However, her main focus is on the years from 50 AD to 1990 in North America, Australia, the United Kingdom and, of course, beautiful Germany 🇩🇪 and the entire continent of Europe. 🇪🇺
Building characters
Character development is one of her favourite things to do. Barbara makes sure to help you develop characters that are historically accurate. If the role is a fictional character, she can provide material on similar people from the same area and time period. She will also make sure that you feel competent enough to write about or play this historical person.
In addition to her broad historical expertise, Barbara brings several talents to the table that can improve and speed up your project.
— She has a special talent for explaining complex issues in a simple way.
✨ Speedreading helps her to process texts very quickly. A 150 page book? She can read it in an hour.
— Whenever Barbara goes into ›Research Beast Mode‹, she can plough through 300 database entries or webpages per HOUR.
✨ Then, she selects the best pieces and structures all this material so that it’s easy to digest. (As she was raised in Germany, she absolutely loves sorting things into categories.)
— Within days, Barbara can provide original historical sources on your character or setting — fast, without compromising on quality.
»Barbara found lots of historical sources, some of which I might never have been able to gather myself in the time I had. Everything was organised and tailored to what I needed — a treasure chest of hand-picked treasures, so to speak. All in all, it saved me several weeks of research drudgery… not to mention the fact that I would probably never have found some of the most useful resources on my own.«
— German bestselling author Eva Völler
»Dr Barbara combines a broad overview and vision with a precise eye for relevant details. Within a very short time, she is able to distil the information relevant to a specific task from dense, complex information flows. By categorising and structuring the sifted data, she turns a confusing flood of information into a handy body of knowledge, without the content being flattened by the reduction in complexity. This combination makes Dr Barbara a colleague with whom collaboration is high-calibre in terms of content and pleasant on an interpersonal level.«
— M.A., programme coordinator at a University
Not ready to book yet, but interested?
Then join The Waitlist. (This is not a commitment.) But whenever new dates for our Historical Consultations open up? We will notify our waiting list first. Be the first to hear about new dates, experimental formats, special offers or 👇🏻 any last minute openings.
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Yes, there’s actually a service called The Research Ruckus. ✨ Buckle up.
How did we end up here? Let me tell you myself.
During my first semester at university, a history professor said to me: »Your writing’s too gripping.«
They kept saying: »Could you could dial it down a bit and write more academically?«
Long story short, I didn’t.
Instead, I wrote 400 pages on storytelling in museums (my dissertation). 🎓👩🏻🎓
Instead, I travelled all across Europe, Japan and the UK — building my network of experts while visiting over 2,000 museums, fortresses, castles, country estates, prehistoric huts and other archaeological sites.
Instead, I created a service that combined my two passions: History and storytelling.
Ever since my university days, I’ve been working tirelessly to bridge the gap between these two worlds. I believe nonfiction or academic writing should not be boring. And history for entertainment purposes — such as books and films — could often use more accurate, more authentic details.
Guten Tag, I’m a historical consultant.
My name is Dr Barbara. 👋 I’m here to help actors, filmmakers and writers research and build a solid historical foundation, so that they can start telling that story or playing that character with ease.
As I was raised in Germany (by a librarian!), I absolutely love sorting things into categories. Speed reading helps me to process texts very quickly. A 150 page book? I can read it in an hour. Whenever I go into ›Research Beast Mode‹, I can plough through 300 database entries or webpages per HOUR. My superpower is to select the best pieces. Then I structure all this material so that it’s easy to digest.
Within hours, I can often sense how to improve a script or what’s missing from a story. Within days, I can provide original historical sources on your character or setting — without compromising on quality. If it’s a fictional character, I can provide material on similar people from the same time and area. I’m trained in explaining complex things in a way that’s easy for you to understand.* Test it here.
* To prove this, I have been shortlisted for a special award for-nonfiction-books-that-present-research-in-a-particularly-accessible-way (in Germany we can say that in ONE word, I promise).
How can you create, even if doubt creeps in? Even if time is SCARCE?
I know these situations, because I’ve not only story-doctored countless plots, rewritten TV treatments or helped research fictional characters based on real people. But I’ve also written 21 books — nonfiction, historical fiction and crime (shhhh! some of them ghostwritten). My own books have won me 3 literary awards and a writer’s residency in Burgundy, France. 🇫🇷 Therefore, I understand the ups & downs of the creative process and can help you accordingly.
My research has been woven into books published by Random House USA, Random House Germany, Picador, AmazonCrossing, Hachette USA, Hachette Australia, Vintage Books Australia, Lübbe, adeo, bene, DroemerKnaur, Blanvalet, Blessing, Piper, Ullstein, Sourcebooks UK, Sphere UK and LittleBrown UK. — I have also consulted on multimedia, TV and film projects (where I signed NDAs and can’t reveal names). 👀
I work with clients who want to write or make films about the past that feel genuine.
I’m here for you — actor, writer, filmmaker.
Ready to shine a spotlight on a historical figure so we can see them in new light.
Ready to find and contact eyewitnesses or world-class experts for you.
Ready to take the road less travelled.
Ready to dial things UP, UP, UP.
Ready to start rattling the fence.
Ready to brush historical sources against the grain, so that, together, we can achieve significantly better results for you.
Let me help you research your period and setting, thoroughly. Bring me in to help you develop an authentic character.
Again, we will keep your information 100% confidential.
So, what character, time period or setting would you like to explore?
»In this biography, Barbara F combines quotes from letters, diaries and pamphlets, information from new sources and contemporary witnesses to create a dense description of this short, driven life. At the end, when she (…) switches back and forth between the perspectives of the resisters and their persecutors, the book turns into a thriller.«
— German newspaper Tagesspiegel, Berlin
»[Barbara’s book is] clever and coherent, cautious and beautifully written, outstanding in its expertise and astounding due to its empathy and any renunciation of judgement. It masters the balancing act of capturing readers without being ingratiating or imposing. In the end, you mourn for Hans Scholl, not because you have to mourn a person like Scholl, but because you genuinely feel you knew him.«
— Author and translator Charlotte Lyne, London
Syrie Wellcome, CC0 from the Wellcome Collection | Syrie Wellcome, 1901. CC4.0 from the Wellcome Collection.