I started making films at university. Loved making films, hated univesrity. A year later and I was working at the RNLI, directing documentaries, commercials, and branded content. After three incredible years there, I went freelance and made Fireflies, which won 'best drama' in the international 2017 Rode Reel. I went from doing small videography jobs to producing and directing commercials for global brands like the Royal Navy and British Airways.
When the pandemic hit, I took the opportunity to explore my fascination with physics and British Sign Language, completing an Access to HE in science and starting two years of BSL lessons, both of which were amazing thanks to some incredible teachers. I also began teaching storytelling on Skillshare (I currently have over 8900 students worldwide).
In 2021, I won Filmarket Hub's Best English Language TV Pilot Screenplay with my first original 70-page script, Sunrise Meets Sunset. I started to fall out of love with the commercial sector though, so in 2022, I swapped clients for students, teaching MA and BA filmmakers at Kingston University in fiction filmmaking, directing, and cinematography. At the end of my first year, my students (very sweetly) nominated me for Most Engaging Teaching, making a 15-person shortlist out of 900 lecturers.
Now, I do a blend of it all; I freelance as a director, lecture part-time, and am working towards my first feature film screenplay. I am currently in pre-production with my original short film Green Grass having secured funding by a UK public body.
The sets I enjoy are the ones made up of a tapestry of people from different cultures and backgrounds, where people are valued as humans, not just a tool to get a job done. People first, product second. I am on a mission to change my own shortcomings, as well as the shortcomings of the industry and provide the next generation with the skills and confidence to build better welfare-driven sets and champion voices that are too often silenced. As a writer/director, I am working hard to include and collaborate with underrepresented communities, most notably with D/deaf and disabled creatives, whilst also setting the tone for a safe, respectful, and enjoyable experience for all. And as an occasional producer, I have been implementing Albert's sustainability recommendations to track and offset carbon, reduce waste, and avoid products or catering in which animals are harmed.
Here are a list of amazing organisations to check out:
✏︎ https://www.deaftalentcollective.com
✏︎ https://www.ddptv.org
✏︎ https://www.bslzone.co.uk
✏︎ http://www.illuminatrixdops.com
✏︎ https://womeninfilm.org
✏︎ https://wearealbert.org
