Talent is equally distributed across the social classes, but opportunity is not!
- Professor Katriona O’Sullivan, Author of ‘Poor’I have benefited from industry mentors through Screen Skills, Talking Point, British Film Designers Guild and the Production Designers Collective and I am committed to providing to giving back providing mentoring and advice for new to the industry or career changers. Please get in touch if your organisation would benefit from a session, workshop or extended network of contacts.
I worked with Cumbrian art, film and heritage charity, Signal Films, in Barrow-in-Furness, for 7 years before moving to London to study for a masters and freelance in the art department. I am lucky to still be able to develop and work on projects with them and look forward to going there once or twice per year to teach on workshops and catch up with all the brilliant work they do to provide underrepressent people creative opportunities.
Some of the projects I have been involved in are detailed below:
Panel Moderator, Production Designers Collective Gathering - 2022 + 2026
International Production Design Week, Production Designers Collective & BFDG, October 2023, 2025, 2027
BFI Film Academy 2012 - current
Since the BFI Film Academy began in 2012 I have worked with Signal Films to raise the money for, plan and deliver the Cumbrian regional BFI Film Academy, leading on the Production Design mentoring element. Many young people from the scheme have gone on to BFI Film Academy residentials and are now working in the industry.
Panel Moderator, Berlinale PDC Talents Workshop - 2024
UAL Mentor, London College of Communiation - 2024
Production Design Tutor, 2nd Year BA Ravensbourne - 1 Term Guest Cover - 2023
Roundtable Speak + Alumni Mentor, BAFTA x BFI Film Academy, 2021 + 2023
Co-Founder - Micro Short Films , 2020
Stepping up to Art Director, Signal Films, January 2020
I created this course based on my own experiences in the art department and a desire to demystify the roles within the art department in order to open a pathway for a more diverse workforce, less who you know and more what you know. Supervising art director Katie Macgregor, (Sex Edcuation, Watchmen) lead the course.
Watch a video here about the experience of the participants.
National Theatre, Play in a Day, 2018
Working with director, Shane Dempsey to help a group of young people create The Odyssey in one day
Liver in a Bed, 2018
Working with the East15 performing arts college to design a site specific live performance based on research the students had collected from the archives at the Wellcome Collection.
Pauline Quirke Academy - 2018
Project Producer + Production Design Mentor, Signal Films 2009 - 2016
Leading a variety of workshops and talks at Signal Films, Barrow in Furness 2009-2016 as a full time member of the team.
