I grew up in the Middle East and the Sussex countryside. I knew nobody in the film
business. I knew nobody in London. I had no plan.
At nineteen I moved to the city anyway. One evening I went to a party and got talking to a French
cameraman. He told me to go to Soho and find a job as a tea boy. Make tea. Carry things. That was
the advice.
The following week I wrote a CV, got on the Northern line and spent the afternoon pushing it through
every door that looked remotely promising. One of those doors was 25 Noel Street. I walked up to the
reception desk and before I could say a word, the girl behind the desk said my name. I'd gone to
school with her brother. In a city of eight million people, where I knew practically nobody.
I got the job at The Moving Picture Company. I handed in my temping job at Barclays and started the
following Monday.
A different door. A different day. I go back to Barclays. Thirty-five years of film. Gone, just like
that.
That was 1990. I'm still here.
Three theatrical feature documentaries for Universal Pictures. A decade of automotive work for
Rolls-Royce, Jaguar Land Rover, Ford and McLaren. Nearly a decade producing all film and media for
the UAE pavilions across three World Expos — Shanghai, Yeosu and Milan. Twelve weeks at 5,600 metres
on Everest, managing camera teams embedded with the British Army's attempt on the West Ridge. More
people have died on that route than have reached the summit.
Some of that work put the audience inside the story rather than in front of it. Film built around a
product, not about one.
Tea boy. Runner. 2nd AD. First AD. Production Manager. Producer.
In that order. That's the career path, not the services I offer now. Although I'm always happy to
make the tea.
The Iron Maiden film is in cinemas in May. I'm keen to talk about new projects — whatever the brief,
whatever the budget. Big-scale productions or lean, focused work where every pound counts.
The work is here. Have a look around. If you need a producer or production advice, please do get in
touch.
