We’re excited to announce the 8 filmmakers representing the North in the 2020 BFI NETWORK Creative Producers School. Our class of 2020 will get together with an 8-strong contingent from the Midlands (you can find out more about those talented folk via Film Hub Midlands) and our course leaders Holly Carrington (Diploid Productions) and Barrington Paul Robinson (Red Bag Pictures) for their first session in early-September. This marks the beginning of a 3-month programme that will see our developing Producer receive training in the fundamentals of film production and attend a number of masterclasses from leading industry professionals.

We’re looking forward to working with our 2020 cohort over the next few months and we can’t wait to see the impact they make in the North’s filmmaking communities after that. For now, it’s our pleasure to introduce this year’s Creative Producers School crew.

Steven is the founder of Long Acre Arts: a UK production company dedicated to commissioning exceptional diverse storytellers and producing their work in film, TV, and theatre. He is also the founder of Roots, a touring theatre company that stages important stories created with neighbourhood ensembles. He co-founded HighTide: one of the UK's leading theatre production companies, and a National Portfolio Organisation of Arts Council England. Over twelve years, he commissioned and produced more than eighty new plays in theatres including the National Theatre, The Old Vic, Royal Court Theatre and the Young Vic.

Radha is a Manchester-based film graduate working across various media - from producing for the stage to developing sci-fi shorts to screen at film festivals across the country. Radha's ethos is to produce work that can provide many things. Perhaps escapism, or education, an experience of a new culture, or self-discovery. Radha hopes to work in a production role that allows for communication between illustration artists and audio designers, with the hope of creating a new viewing experience.

Julie Burrow is a writer and performer based in Manchester, who has produced theatre and a short film. Recent commissions include the remotely filmed collaboration What will I regret when I’m 60? for Flexus Dance Collective’s digital festival A Captured Moment and Straw Bear, a collaborative short film for Les Enfants Terribles’ digital show The Prism. She’s also making a one-woman show about a showbiz has-been 6ft moth, Rosy Maple.

An aspiring producer with a passion for utilising Northern talent, Sian currently volunteers as a producer in-house for two award-winning film production companies run by young people: Oxygen Films and Galactic Goldfish Pictures. Sian strives to give Northern filmmakers a voice and a platform for their bold and original ideas, with a particular interest in films that look at audience interactivity, as well as horror and comedy genre work. A recent first-class honours graduate of the University of Salford, Sian hopes to further develop their skills and begin a journey towards a producing career.

Lewis Coates is a producer/director based in Sheffield. He aims to create high-concept films that explore what it is to be human in today’s society, often creatively utilising elements of genre film to explore complex emotional themes. Lewis was nominated as Best New Filmmaker at IMDb's 2019 awards for a short film that was funded by Channel 4's Random Acts. His next short Re-displacement won Best UK Short and Best Director awards and was distributed by Gunpowder & Sky's sci-fi platform DUST. He is also penned to produce a BFI-backed short film later this year.

Oliver Duffy is a producer based in Leeds. He began his career as a first assistant director in 2018, while attending the Northern Film School, before progressing into other production roles such as location management. Keen to be at the helm of the production department, he took the step into producing, recently creating a short period drama set during the Second World War. His key interest is in creating a believable, encapsulating world to surround the story of a film.

With 20 years’ experience in British Film & TV, Jaynie has worked across production and script departments and is a screenwriter in her own right. She has worked as an assistant to Oscar-winning Producer Tracey Seaward and alongside established writers and directors such as Stephen Frears, Danny Boyle, Sam Taylor Johnson, Matt Greenhalgh and Frank Cottrell Boyce. Having returned to her home town of Liverpool after a long stint in London, she is now a Producer at Reckless Kid Films and is currently developing a Film & TV slate and co-productions as they make a move into drama

Paige Neilson is a short film producer from Hull who graduated from the University of the Arts London in 2019. As well as producing, she has experience writing, directing and production assisting. She is passionate about telling regional stories, particularly in her home city of Hull, as well as stories focusing on women. Currently developing a slate of short films, Paige is working towards producing feature films in the future.