Best Startup
At Best Startup UK we track over 130,000 UK startups and over 500,000 people who hold key positions in these companies. We use this directory of startups to highlight top employees, founders and board members we think deserve more appreciation than they are currently getting.
This list showcases the top United Kingdom based Director operating in the Film Production space. If you think a Director is missing from this list, feel free to contact our editor on editor@beststartup.co.uk.
The individuals on this list have been included because of exceptional performance in one of the following categories:
- Innovation – Operating as a key part in an extremely innovative business or startup.
- Growth – Operating as a key figure in the growth and upscale of a market leading business or startup.
- Management – Showing exceptional management skills.
- Societal impact – Putting their business on the map for their positive societal or environmental impact.
Our Data – We source our data from OSINT (open source intelligence) and public directories such as Companies House UK, Crunchbase, SemRush and many more. The data from these sources should be treated with a degree of caution and verified yourself.
Alison Turner
Director, Operations & Infrastructure of Framestore
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About Framestore: Framestore is a creative studio that offers production, pre-production, and post-production services for its users.
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Sharon Reed
Co-Founder & Director of Framestore
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About Framestore: Framestore is a creative studio that offers production, pre-production, and post-production services for its users.
David Howlett
Marketing Director of ICP
Now working at ICP as Marketing Director. David is an experienced Board level Marketing and Business Development Director having worked in many industry sectors, recently in a business to business environment within professional services companies, but with high levels of understanding of the business to consumer context and within a wide range of market sectors. Specific functions that David has managed include marketing, communications, business development, market research, insight, branding, strategy development and general management within SMEs and large corporates. He has also had experience of setting up new ventures within existing businesses, and of managing a production facility. this has involved managing many teams, large and small, made up of experienced directors and of junior to mid level executives. David has a very strong understanding of finance, in terms of budget management and the setting of key performance indicators in addition to monthly and annual financial performance measurement. Sector experience includes Fast Moving Consumer Goods, food & drink, personal care, household care; paint; packaging; recycling. David has travelled extensively and held international responsibilities in many of roles, including Europe, USA, China, Saudi Arabia. Recently, David has been invited to deliver guest lectures to undergraduates and postgraduates at Oxford Brookes University Business School covering marketing, market research, thought leadership and content marketing themes.
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About ICP: ICP provides digital asset management consulting, advertising production and video services to global clients and brands
Jon Wardle
Director of National Film and Television School
Prior to joining the NFTS in early 2012, Jon was Director of the Centre for Excellence in Media Practice, the only HEFCE Centre for Excellence for teaching and learning in the media area in the UK. In his role at Bournemouth University Jon was responsible for Bournemouth’s continuing professional development activity at masters level establishing postgraduate partnerships with the BBC, Guardian and Sony Computers Entertainment Europe. Jon also wrote the Creative Skillset ‘Build Your Own MA’ framework. Jon was NFTS Deputy Director & Director of Curriculum & Registrar from 2012 -2017. He was responsible for all educational matters at the NFTS including curriculum development, quality assurance, education enhancement and registry. Jon was appointed Director of the School in August 2017. Since joining the NFTS Jon has developed a number of new courses working in partnership with organisations including Sky, Channel 4, Discovery Networks International, the BBC and Aardman. Jon leads the annual BFI Film Academy, a ‘talent campus’ for 66 of the most talented 16-19 year old filmmakers in the UK. Jon is the author of a number of papers and book chapters on media education as well as co-editor of the book ‘Current Perspectives in Media Education’. Jon is on the editorial board of the Media Education Research Journal, is an executive officer of the Media Education Association and Nahemi, is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and the National Association of Television Production Executives (NATPE), an associate member of BAFTA and an advisor on education to the Royal Television Society. He has a BA (Hons) in Television Production from Bournemouth University, an MBA from the University of Southampton and a Doctorate of Education from the University of Bristol.
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About National Film and Television School: Educating the best creative talent to the highest professional standard for tomorrow’s screen industries.
Trevor Hall
Finance Director of National Film and Television School
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About National Film and Television School: Educating the best creative talent to the highest professional standard for tomorrow’s screen industries.
Simon Windsor
Founder, Joint Managing Director of Dimension
Simon has been at the forefront of immersive technologies since 2011, launching several successful companies in AR and VR, and bringing state-of-the-art immersive production facilities to the UK. He is joint-head at immersive media company, Hammerhead, and at Dimension, a pioneering volumetric video capture studio and first Microsoft Mixed Reality Capture studio partner, focused on creating next generation virtual humans. Simon is also a director at TimeSlice Films, one of the UK’s leading multi-cam and capture solutions specialists, and prior to this he was part of the management team that launched AR technology platform, String. An award winning AR and VR producer, Simon has inspired and lead projects for companies including Disney, Nike, Sky, Audi, HSBC, Magic Leap and many more, and produced original VR titles including ABE and Syren.
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About Dimension: Revolutionary volumetric production studios for the creation of next generation digital humans, XR content and virtual production.
Malcolm MacMillan
Managing Director (UK) of The Boxoffice Company
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About The Boxoffice Company, The Boxoffice Company: The Boxoffice Company provides media, technology, and data for the global film industry.
Gabe Turner
Director of Fulwell 73
Gabe has worked across a multitude of genres, platforms and roles within the TV, Film and Advertising Industries, and is responsible for some of the most engaging and shared content in the world. He co-founded Fulwell73 with his brother Ben Turner, cousin Leo Pearlman and oldest friend Ben Winston. His career started with the critically acclaimed feature doc ‘In The Hands of the Gods’ (Lionsgate), which he co-directed with his brother Ben, before they went on to make ‘The Class of 92’ for Universal, which became the fastest selling sports documentary of all time. In 2014, Gabe directed his first feature ‘The Guvnors’, which won two National Film Awards, and he is currently shooting a new documentary with Usain Bolt, set for global release. His work includes commercials for numerous global brands such as Apple, Samsung, Nissan, Honda, Audeamars Piguet and Sony, music videos for Demi Lovato, Olly Murs and One Direction, including ‘Steal My Girl’ and ‘Drag Me Down’, which went on to win this year’s ‘Best British Artist Video’ at the Brits. In addition to his directing, producing and writing credits, Gabe has also Exec Produced numerous TV shows, including Jack Whitehall’s ‘Feeling Nuts Comedy Night’ (C4), involving a cancer awareness campaign that reached almost 800 million people. In 2015 he went over to the U.S to develop the ‘Late Late Show’ with Ben Winston and the show’s host, James Corden. He directed the pilot for the Internet sensation, ‘Carpool Karaoke’, with James Corden and singing superstar, Mariah Carey.
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About Fulwell 73: Fulwell 73 is a television, film and music production company
Dee Harvey
Founder & Director of Controvert
Over 20 years experience in interactive media production at the highest level, and a graduate of NYU.
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About Controvert: Controvert creates and develops media content using immersive technology.
Matthew Newcombe
Technical Director of Nexus Studios
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About Nexus Studios: Nexus Studios is an independent production company, interactive arts and animation studio.
Sarah Broadbent
HR Director & Assistant Producer of Orillo Films
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About Orillo Films: Orillo Films is a fully-inclusive production company based in both York and London.
Jordan Clarke
DOP, Company Director and Head of Production of Orillo Films
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About Orillo Films: Orillo Films is a fully-inclusive production company based in both York and London.
John Coles
Director of Vidius Productions
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About Vidius Productions: Vidius Productions provides live streaming and video production for meetings, events, councils, and houses of worship.
Tom Ward
Managing Director of SANDSTORM FILMS
Tom founded Sandstorm; one of the first end-to-end, direct-to-brand content production companies in 2000; after working in London with creative agencies, production companies and post-houses for a number of years. He saw the opportunity to merge all three together in order to provide a more cost and time efficient facility for creating advertising content. His vision was based on the idea that brands would need unified content for a lot more channels imminently and the technology to create this was fast becoming more affordable. Though it wasn’t until the recession of 2007 that the ethos that formed Sandstorm became easier to appreciate. Communication platforms for brands were rapidly growing and budgets suddenly shrank. Quantifiable ROI combined with brand value would become the primary focus leaving the traditional agency model struggling to deliver. Today you will see many agencies and production companies trying to offer the same service, but none have the experience and have invested quite as much in their team and facilities as Tom has. He is still fully focused on delivering transparency and efficiency, consistently looking to future proof all work and make the life of Sandstorm’s clients easier.
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About SANDSTORM FILMS: Our Sandstorm Film Production Company offers professional camera crews, videographers & other production services
William McMaster
Technical Director of Occupied VR
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About Occupied VR: The Occupied collective has been organically forming for the past year within the emerging VR community in Toronto, Canada.
Ben Rogers
Producer and Director of Potential Productions
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About Potential Productions, Storemates: Potential Productions is a media company that specializes in films, design, and branding for charities and social enterprises.
Aaron Wood
Managing Director & Producer of Slurpy Studios
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About Slurpy Studios: Slurpy Studios offers a complete range of in-house facilities to take a project from concept to delivery.
Aaron Wood
Managing Director & Producer of Slurpy Studios
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About Slurpy Studios: Slurpy Studios offers a complete range of in-house facilities to take a project from concept to delivery.
