Playback: Careers Advice Round Tables

Expert biographies

• Kieran Argo

  Kieran Argo is a co-founder of the Encounters Short Film and Animation Festival in Bristol, UK and served as a Board Director for twelve years. He has been the Animation Programmer since 2010. For fifteen years Kieran worked at Aardman Animations where he established and ran their Events and Exhibitions Department. During this time he travelled extensively promoting Aardman and producing large-scale exhibitions. He also served on international film festival and award juries including BAFTA. For the last five years Kieran has been responsible for delivering the Encounters Producers Course funded by Creative Skillset. Throughout 2017 Kieran will be working with the Bristol-based production studio Calling the Shots delivering a number of development courses and events in the South West of England for young film-makers from the Channel 4 and Arts Council of England ‘Random Acts’ series. With extensive knowledge and experience of UK animation professionals and organisations Kieran is proud to help new and established talent and offer advice on awards, festival strategies and professional development.

• Steven Cairns

  Steven Cairns is Curator of Artists’ Film and Moving Image at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London (2011—ongoing). He curated the ICA Artists’ Film Biennial 2016 and 2014 (London); the Tramway artists’ moving image Festival 2014 (Glasgow). In 2013, he was Executive Producer on a series of artists’ moving image works for Channel 4’s Random Acts. He was also a jury member of the Jarman Award 2014. In 2015 he was the selector of Film Open (Spike Island, Bristol; S1, Sheffield, Transmission Gallery, Glasgow; Castlefield Gallery, Manchester). Recent projects also took place at Kunstverein Munich, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; and Bergen Kunsthall (with James Richards) and the sci-fi project Enter/Exit at Kunsthalle Bern, all in 2015. In 2016, he was co-curator of the Liverpool Biennial, and in early 2016 convened the conference Archaeology & Exorcisms, which took place in Gothenburg, Sweden. An accompanying book was published in 2017. He is currently compiling an edited collection of artist interviews to be published in Plunder: British Film and Video since the Millennium.

• Jemma Desai

  Jemma Desai is Film Programme Manager at the British Council, where she looks after their activity with short filmmakers and their global touring initiatives. She also programmes for BFI London Film Festival and has contributed to various film publications including Sight & Sound and BFI online. In 2012 Jemma founded I am Dora, a curatorial initiative exploring how women identify with one another through film, which encompasses a screening series, a printed publication and discussion events.

• Freddie Fraser Forsyth

  Freddie Fraser Forsyth is the co- founder of TOPSAFE, an independent film studio working with emerging directors to develop short scripted and documentary films. Freddie is an executive producer at the company, helping directors develop their ideas and treatments and secure funding for their own projects as well as working with clients such as Adidas, Smirnoff, Sonos and Vans.

• Gavin Humphries

  Gavin Humphries is Executive Producer at NOWNESS, a global video channel highlighting the best in culture from around the world. NOWNESS tells compelling stories with exceptional talent such as Nicola Winding Refn, Florence Welch, Benjamin Millepied, Kibwe Tavares, Shynola and Marie Schuller. A BAFTA-nominated and Cannes-winning producer, Gavin has worked on a number of projects with the BBC, Channel 4,Tate Modern, Google, Framestore and the Young Vic Theatre. He's recently produced PIN CUSHION, Deborah Haywood's first feature for the BFI and Dignity Film Finance.

• Philip Ilson

  Philip Ilson is the Artistic Director of the London Short Film Festival, which he co-founded in 2004. He is also the short film programmer for the BFI London Film Festival, and has worked as a freelance programmer, including at the East End Film Festival (London), Cork Film Festival (Ireland), and the Branchage Festival (Jersey), Latitude music festival, and at Curzon Soho Cinema.

• Kristin Irving

  Kristin Irving is a Development Executive at the BFI Film Fund. Prior to joining the BFI she worked in development for Academy-Award winning production company Portobello Pictures and the film development financier Cascade Pictures, and as a freelance script consultant and assessor.

• Jo Nolan

  Jo Nolan’s background includes producing and company management across a wide spectrum of film, media and arts including features and shorts, Comic Arts gallery curator, theatre, publishing; design and training both nationally and internationally. Jo has extensive experience in independent film production, having worked in most roles including Producer, Art Department and First AD. She has been MD at Screen South since August 2005 following her role as Head of Regional Development and Production at Screen South. Jo’s contribution has been integral to the creative and business success of several award-winning rising stars of the UK’s independent film scene, including: Andrea Arnold (Wasp,Oscar winner, Red Road), Mark & Nick Francis (Black Gold), Jan Dunn and Elaine Wickham (Gypo, Ruby Blue, The Calling), Oliver Hodge (Garbage Warrior) and Rob Lemkin (Enemies of the People) who she has nurtured as part of her Feature Exec Role and Talent Development programme at Screen South. She has delivered over 100 productions including features, award winning shorts, corporate videos and music promos, including the first interactive music DVD for acclaimed band Orbital which won international industry acclaim. Jo has a BA Hons Expressive Arts, Brighton and studied for her PGDip in New Media & Film in Birmingham. She is a voting member of BAFTA member and a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

• Julia Nottingham

  Julia Nottingham runs the feature documentary slate at Pulse Films. Recent credits include Trophy dir. Shaul Schwarz (Sundance US Doc Competition 2017), One More Time With Feeling dir. Andrew Dominik (Venice Film Festival 2016), Sundance Best Director winner – All These Sleepless Nights dir. Michal Marczak (Sundance World Doc Competition 2016), The Reflektor Tapes dir. Kahlil Joseph (Toronto Film Festival 2015) & The Possibilities are Endless (SXSW & BFI London Film Festival 2014). Future productions include an untitled Netflix Original Feature Documentary, XY Chelsea - a feature documentary about transgender whistleblower Chelsea Manning and the next narrative project from Crystal Moselle, director of The Wolfpack.