How did you become a producer?
I became a producer out of the need to create stories that represent people like me, and open doors to exceptional talent that often gets overlooked.
I come from being the talent and a talent development background. I used to run a charity that helped marginalised producers, writers and directors the break into the mainstream.
I’m used to working on a breadth of different projects and formats, but I was always very focused on actually making sure that the talent was ready to take up opportunities as they came up, as well as building their projects alongside them.
Story Compound still does talent development and support, and I still do policy work and advocate a lot. We also do our own bespoke projects within our production company, which is genre agnostic.
We focus on the talent first and then build the project alongside that so that they are ready for the next steps and to, you know, fly!
Working with the Film Skills Council
The Film Skills Council doesn’t feel like it’s a place where people are just sitting and going through the motions.
Essentially I joined, not just because I thought it was a space that would actually be able to action and push boundaries, but also, I'm living it.
I wanted to offer my own perspective from being on the ground and understanding where the gaps are. And also the diverse perspectives that I have from all the talent that I work with.
And when I say diverse, it’s all areas of marginalities. It's gender, sexual orientation, race, neurodiversity. Anybody who has been kept on the sidelines.
What impact do you hope to have?
As a voice, just making sure that we hit those representative spaces so that actually, when we're doing this, we're thinking in a 360 way. And that's what I want all of the industry to do so that nobody gets left behind and nobody gets left out.
Challenges for the UK film industry
Funding is a huge issue across the board. We have to start thinking internationally. I think we're now really, really starting to see the results of being in Brexit, then we’ve had Covid and the writers’ strike. I don’t want it to be doom and gloom. We just need to get way more savvy and think differently. How can we support the ecosystem to be different, diversify the funding model?
On diversity there is a new challenge too, which is a bittersweet one. I feel like we have diversified up to a point with lots of schemes that have helped individual communities inject talent into the different bespoke areas of the industry. This is great but there is a real bottleneck.
Coupled with the fact that there’s very little funding and opportunity to broaden your horizons, and your slate, and your credits, diverse talent is missing out on opportunities because there’s an equivalent ‘diverse space’.
We just want to be integrated into the mainstream system. Only then are we really talking about equity, when you don't need the entry training schemes anymore.
And it’s important to invest in those people who climb up the ladder. Producers are struggling so much, especially those from diverse backgrounds. How many of them are female? Very few. How many production companies are diversely led? Very few. And so investing at that level, supporting the talent to progress up the ladder, is critical otherwise the whole system falls down.
What do you find most satisfying about working in the film industry?
I really love finding and supporting new talent to tell their stories. I want to find fresh ways of telling stories, mixing formats and cultures.
I'm proud to be British and I would love our stories to reflect the complexity, challenges and the positivity of that. For me, it’s about being very truthful and honest and recognising there is joy, laughter and sadness in all of our lives, but actually that’s what brings people together.
Your advice to others
Those that do well in the industry are those who have stuck around long enough. I could have left this industry a long, long time ago and probably have been richer, but I am here because I love the craft and this industry.
I feel like there's a distinction from other careers. You’re born to do it and there is something special and magical in living that destiny that was put inside of you. I wouldn't have been happy anywhere else, so I'm very privileged to be here.
So I would say whatever talent has been given to you in whatever discipline, there will be joy and there are hard times, but ultimately, it's going to be rewarding.
So stick around and don't give up, but also don’t be scared to use your voice because you are here for a reason, your unique contribution is of great value to us all.