Ex-Pilot and Captain Presents Pilot Documentary and Children's Books

Teemu Leppälä, CEO at POB Production in Finland has released a documentary Pilot on Board that shows the highly skilled work of pilots, through all seasons, in different circumstances, ships and ports. 

The documentary, with English subtitles, includes piloting for the cargo ship M/S Arabian Breeze in India and the cruise ship M/S Emerald Princess in Finland, amongst others.

Children’s Books

Leppälä has also produced the Icebreaker Snow book series. Last week, he announced that the tales will involve a new country – India. POB Production and Juggernaut Books signed the publishing contract last week. India has a huge potential for Icebreaker Snow and its strategy to be more internationally recognised brand, says Leppälä. 

Juggernaut Books’ aim is to create a world-class Indian publishing company that redefines reading and writing for the digital age. The company was launched by Chiki Sarkar, former publisher and editor-in-chief of Penguin Random House in India, and Durga Raguath who has worked across a span of digital media offerings in the India. Investors in the Juggernaut Books include Infosys co-founder and former CEO Nandan Nilekani, Boston Consulting Group India CEO Neeraj Aggarwal and Fabindia Managing Director William Bissell.

POB Production aims at significant international growth that is based on developing the content, licencing, animation and IP management of Icebreaker Snow book series characters. POB builds and develops the concepts, business and contract models and expert networks necessary for international growth. The long term goal of POB Production is to make Icebreaker Snow into an internationally recognized children’s character brand.

The books and documentary are available here.

About the Author – Teemu Leppälä 

Since I was a child I've lived close to the sea. My father built a sail boat, and we spent summers in the 70s and 80s sailing on Baltic Sea, all the way to Sweden, Germany and Denmark. I knew then that I want to be a sea captain as a grown-up. After ground school, at the age 15, I went to marine vocational school. I learned basic skills and after graduating, started working in merchant ships: passenger ships, cargo ships and oil tankers, for example.

I worked in dozens of different ships and saw the world: from Suez channel to the rivers of China, from Africa to Greenland and Borneo. At the same time, I studied further and eventually got my Sea Captain's degree in 2004. I also continued my studies and finished a Master of Marine Science degree in 2011. During the winters, when I was on vacation from my Sea Pilot job, I worked in Finnish icebreakers on the Baltic Sea.

In winter 2011, I worked as an operator, who drives the icebreaker. I was on icebreaker, and just finished my night watch. The night had been full of missions and tricky situations. Suddenly it hit me: why won't anyone put these stories in writing? And then: why not me? Icebreakers could tell their stories and wink their blue eyes. I decided to take the pen into my own hand and start telling the icebreakers' stories.

I've always read books for my children, and also made up my own stories of the sea, icebreakers, ships and light houses when I could not find them in book stores. My literary benchmark is Jules Verne. I started reading his adventure books quite young and remember how the stories overwhelmingly charmed me. I am a storyteller by nature, and in addition to books I have published articles and manuscripts, and made different kind of documentaries.

My aim is to continue the book series with many new stories and communicate Icebreaker Snow and other characters' values of positivity, helpfulness and friendliness to all of the world. Fourth book is already in the making, as well as developing the brand, IP and characters.