2026 Mentor Bios

  • Camilla Lewis, CEO Curve Media

    Camilla Lewis founded Curve Media in 2014 with Rob. Camilla has spent her career creating high-quality, entertaining programming for the world’s best broadcasters. She has created and overseen some of the best-known brands on British television including Four Rooms, Great British Railway Journeys, Escape to the Country and Grand Designs.

    Camilla began her career producing BBC factual and current affairs strands including Watchdog. She was Deputy Editor of Tomorrow’s World before being appointed Head of Factual at CBBC, where she commissioned and executive produced all factual programming winning RTS and BAFTA’s. In 2003, she became an Executive Producer in the BBC’s specialist factual department, responsible for high profile, critically acclaimed output including, Trauma and Should I Worry About…? She then joined talkbackTHAMES / FremantleMedia as Head of Factual Features overseeing some of the UK’s highest rating formats.

  • Carlotta Rossi-Spencer, Global Head of Branded Entertainment Business Development, Banijay

    Carlotta serves as Head of Branded Entertainment Business Development for Banijay Entertainment, overseeing the company’s division BBE (Banijay Branded Entertainment). 

    Housed centrally within Banijay Entertainment, BBE leverages the group’s expansive global production expertise to deliver against brand briefs both at a local and global level.  Working across the company’s 21-territory footprint, Carlotta is charged with overseeing the delivery and fulfilment of new partnerships and deals in this space to drive maximum value for the business worldwide.

    Carlotta is also co-chair of Banijay Elle, Banijay Entertainment’s employee resource group committed to attracting, retaining, supporting and championing women at all levels.

    Previously she served as Head of Format Acquisitions for the company and was responsible for acquiring unscripted formats with cross-country appeal for Banijay Entertainment’s 130+ production entities. Leading the process from industry analysis to negotiation and completion, she established strong relationships worldwide, making Banijay Entertainment a top destination and go-to for content developers, distributors, and brand managers alike. As part of the role, she also assisted the in-footprint production labels with the local roll-out of all formats acquired, as well as Temptation Island

    She has also held several roles in research and development, having begun her career in journalism and communications. 

  • Cat Lynch, Senior Creative Executive, Amazon MGM Studios

    Starting her career as a creative intern at Endemol UK, Cat went on to work in production and development for indies including ITV Studios and Monkey Kingdom before returning to Endemol to manage and train several teams of creative interns – many of whom have gone on to become creative leaders. Working in the central development team at Endemol, she generated ideas and supported development for all labels, from fact-ent to comedy-ent and quiz. 

    Focussing her attention on entertainment, she became Head of Development and later Creative Director of Banijay label Initial. Leading the creative direction and development team to devise and exec series including The Almost Impossible Game Show and long running quiz Tenable. 

    In 2018 Cat became co-MD of Initial, overseeing a push in to younger skewing content and reality with shows such as The Singles Table (ITVbe), The Games (ITV1) and Beauty and the Geek (Discovery), as well as leading existing series such as annual live charity event Soccer Aid. Before leaving to join Amazon in 2023, Initial sold reality juggernaut Big Brother to ITV, and adapted international format 99 to Beat for the UK market. 

    Joining Amazon MGM Studios in 2023 Cat has been building a slate of reality and formats, this year launching Molly Mae: Behind it all – the platform’s biggest unscripted show ever for young women, which won an NTA. She oversaw series 2 of James Bond reality show Road to a Million as well as the breakout unscripted hit of the year – Last One Laughing UK. With an expanded slate and remit, Cat is in production with several brand-new formats as well as returning hits. 

  • Charlotte Tudor, VP Studios Marketing, Disney

    Charlotte is an award-winning film industry marketing leader and senior member of Disney’s European marketing team, with over 25 years of experience.  She has overseen UK & EMEA marketing campaigns for nine of the top 25 highest grossing films of all time, including Avatar: The Way of WaterStar Wars: The Force AwakensInside Out 2The Lion King (2019), Frozen II, and Zootropolis 2

    Passionate about championing new voices, Charlotte is active in early‑career talent development. She is the Studios lead for Disney’s Future Storytellers programme and collaborates with organisations like Into Film and the National Film and Television School to support industry led training, mentorship, and open career pathways for the next generation of filmmakers and creatives. 

  • Christina Angeloudes, Commercial Director, Big Talk Studios

    Christina Angeloudes is Big Talk’s Commercial Director and leads Big Talk with CEO, Kenton Allen. 

    Christina has been with Big Talk for over 13 years where she has been instrumental in helping grow it into the powerhouse it is today. She has forged relationships with key business partners, domestically and internationally, especially in the USA and with SVOD’s such as Apple and Amazon. She oversees all key talent deals and has put together multiple co-productions with increasingly complex commercial arrangements.  Christina has worked on BAFTA winning and nominated shows such as “Ludwig”, “Mitchell & Webb Are Not Helping”, “Transaction”, “Timewasters”, “Mum”, “Friday Night Dinner” and “Cold Feet”. 

    Prior to joining Big Talk, Christina worked in Business Affairs at Working Title Films for 12 years specialising in all aspects of film development and production and working on films such as Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Anna Karenina, Senna, Nanny McPhee, Frost/Nixon, Atonement and the Coen brothers’ Burn After Reading amongst others. Christina also provided business affairs support on the production of Billy Elliot the Musical as well as Working Title Television’s programmes Birdsong and The Borrowers for BBC One. 

  • Debbie Ramsay, Editor 5 News

    Debbie is the editor of 5 News - an hour-long news bulletin produced by ITN, which airs weeknights on 5. She became the first black editor of a national TV news programme in the UK when she joined ITN from Channel 4 in late 2023.

    At a time when most TV viewing is declining the 5 News audience grew in Debbie's first year in the role achieving its highest viewing figures in 2024 in six years.  She has also been instrumental in pushing forward with 5 News’s strategy to grow its digital footprint and audience.

    Previous to the 5 News editorship Debbie worked at​ Channel 4 where she was a Commissioning Editor for News and Current Affairs and launch editor for C4’s digital youth documentary strand UNTOLD aimed at 16-34-year-olds. 

    Debbie worked at the BBC for 16 years before Channel 4 most recently as an Executive Editor at BBC News in charge of commissioning multi-platform original journalism across the UK although a large amount of her time there was spent as Head of Youth Journalism of Radio 1 and 1Xtra Newsbeat. There she led a large team of journalists to provide award-winning content for the BBC's flagship multi-platform youth outlets including BBC iPlayer. She also sat on the BBC News Board as an advisor as well as being invited to sit as an advisor on the Director General Tim Davie’s Senior Executive Group Board.

    Debbie began her career working on local newspapers in the northwest of England, before moving into local radio there and in Birmingham eventually going on to work Capital AM and FM in London presenting early bulletins and as a breakfast news editor. She’s also commissioned radio documentaries and co-presented a news and music show on BBC 1Xtra.

    She mentors many people in her “spare” time and is also Vice Chair of the Prison Radio Association.

  • Elizabeth McIntyre, Director ScreenCraft Works

    Elizabeth is Director of SCREENCRAFT WORKS, a career, learning and advocacy network supporting under-represented production and post-production talent for a culture-shift in local and international film, TV & online production. ScreenCraft Works programmes include cross-border mentoring, talks and networking.

  • Emma Cassidy, Creative Director, WBD EMEA

    In her current role, Emma leads award-winning creative teams at WBD providing full creative services to support the Kids portfolio of linear & digital channels across EMEA, along with premium sports channel TNT Sport in the UK.

    Graduate of Sussex University with a BA (First) in Media and English, she has always been interested in creative communication in its many forms. With over 25 years in the advertising and broadcast media industry, she is expert in creative & brand strategy and content promotion. She has worked with many UK broadcasters (BBC, Disney, NBCU) and broadcast design agencies (Red Bee, BDA), before joining WBD.

    Passionate about the benefits of diversity and inclusion in the workplace, Emma was one of the founders of the acclaimed Access series Black Britain Unspoken and is an active member of our BRG ‘Being’ which promotes multi-culturalism.

  • Emma Hardy, Director Commissioning Operations Channel 4

    Emma spent more than 20 years as Director of Talent and then Managing Director at Princess Productions, where she helped to launch the TV careers of high-profile talent including Dermot O’Leary and Mel & Sue. During this time, she was involved in a wide range of formats across all genres, including The Sunday Night Project, Got To Dance, Sunday Brunch and The Wright Stuff.

    She also spent time as Executive Producer at Manchester City Football Club, where she oversaw All or Nothing, the full-access eight-part documentary for Amazon Studios.

    At Channel 4, Emma is Director of Commissioning Operations overseeing several departments in commissioning including Creative Equity, Indie Relations, High Risk Filming and Sustainability.  Her work at the broadcaster aims to nurture diverse voices and strengthen partnerships across the industry. She plays a pivotal role in cross-departmental collaborations, driving initiatives that champion inclusion, support creative talent, and build meaningful connections between Channel 4 and the wider production community.


  • Emma Thomas Script Supervisor

    Emma has worked in the Film & TV Industry for 30 years on over fifty productions and was honoured with the British Academy Television Craft Special Award (BAFTA) in recognition of her contribution to the industry through her role as a Script Supervisor in 2019 but also for her efforts as a mentor and supporter of the next generation of talent.

  • Helen Pratt, Creative Talent Executive, BBC Content

    Helen Pratt is Creative Talent Executive in BBC Content, Commissioning working with the Unscripted Commissioning teams to help expand knowledge of the freelance unscripted talent pool across the UK.

    Prior to joining the BBC Helen worked for many years as a freelance senior edit producer, shooting director and series producer in documentaries, specialist factual, factual entertainment, food and features on titles as varied as MasterChef, Secrets of the Museum- V&A, Inside the Factory, Undercover Boss and The Mayfair Hotel: Megabuild. Helen also spent 7 happy years as Head of Talent at Fresh One Productions (Jamie Oliver’s production company) during its period of rapid growth and has worked freelance in the same role at both Dragonfly Productions and Minnow Films.

  • Helen Veale Executive Producer & Media Consultant

    Helen is an experienced Creative and Board Director. She co-founded and led Outline Productions through 25 years of creative and commercial success through to sale to a new group. She set up and ran Outline Wales, a new Nations and Regions indie that delivered more than 90 hours of network TV. Here she developed multiple global hit formats and BAFTA and RTS nominated popular factual series.

  • Kat Blair, Company Director

    With over 20 years of experience in television production and publicity, Kat Blair has shaped  and delivered standout campaigns for some of the UK’s most celebrated productions. As the founder of Kat Blair Publicity, she has spent the past eight years representing top-tier clients  including Netflix, BBC, Sky, Endor Productions, Little Island Productions, Balloon  Entertainment, and Rollem Productions. Her recent work includes publicity for award-winning and internationally recognised HETV titles such as Bridgerton, I Hate Suzie,  and Patrick Melrose

    Before launching her own company in 2017, Kat spent eight years with PR Matters, where she handled all aspects of unit and release publicity for top independent production companies  and hugely successful shows including Hat Trick Productions (Have I Got News for You,  Outnumbered, Doctor Thorne, Boomers, Room 101, Critical, The Revolution Will Be Televised),  Kay Mellor’s Rollem Productions (In the Club Series 2, The Syndicate Series 3), Angst  Productions (Mock the Week), Emporium Pictures (The World's Most Dangerous Prisons)Kalooki Pictures (Bruce's Hall of Fame), Plum Pictures (Inside the Mafia, James May's Man  Lab, George Clarke's Amazing Spaces, Trevor McDonald's Inside Death Row), The Hairy Bikers  and Carnaby International. 

    Kat began her career in television at the BBC, where she worked for four years across  programmes including Watchdog, Rogue Traders, Horizon, Journeys from the Centre of the  Earth, and Newsnight, holding roles from Researcher to Assistant Producer and Broadcast Journalist. Kat is also a BAFTA member, and Trustee of Watersprite Film  Festival.

  • Katie Benbow Director of Strategy for BBC Studios

    Katie oversees content strategy and investment across the genre, working with the world’s leading Specialist Factual and Documentary makers. Katie loves TV and has built her career around her passion - bringing her editorial and commercial skills together through previous roles as Head of Acquisitions for BBC Studio’s international branded services and Director of Sales Planning.

  • Katy Manley, MD Initial

    Katy is the Managing Director of Initial (a Banijay UK label), where she is responsible for managing all aspects of the company, including the creative output and direction, as well as overseeing every production on its slate.  She is responsible for hundreds of hours of television every year.

    Katy worked her way up the industry on a variety of shows including It’s A Knockout, Distraction, Catchphrase, Your Face or Mine, V Graham Norton and QI. She later began to specialise in large scale reality and entertainment shows, and has overseen the reality juggernaut of Big Brother since 2010; managing the successful transition of the show from Channel 4 to Channel 5 and most recently the reinvigoration of the brand on ITV. 

    In a career spanning over 20 years, she has worked on some of the biggest shows on television. Specialising in large-scale, ambitious reality and entertainment shows, she is currently responsible for a raft of shows in both the UK and the US that include Big Brother (ITV), Celebrity Big Brother (ITV), Soccer Aid (ITV), 99 To Beat (ITV and Fox) and Last One Laughing (Prime Video).

  • Karen Hudson, Deputy Director of Production / Career Coach, Expectation TV

    Karen is a senior production leader and certified coach with over 20 years’ experience in the UK television industry. She has built and led large-scale teams across high-profile factual and entertainment programming for major broadcasters and streamers, working closely with top-level executives, creatives and production talent at every stage of the pipeline. She has built a reputation for operational excellence and values-led leadership.

    Alongside her production work, Karen runs a flagship nine-month leadership development programme for 60 senior production professionals supporting the next generation of industry leaders to step up, find their voice and thrive. Karen is helping women and underrepresented talent on the programme to progress into Line Producer, Production Executive and Head of Production roles.

    Her network spans streamers, senior commissioners and some of the most respected operational leaders in the industry and she brings all that connection, insight and belief into her mentoring.

    She is passionate about championing people, building psychologically safe cultures and ensuring women in production receive the recognition and opportunities they deserve. Her mission is simple: to ensure brilliant people stay in this industry and feel empowered to lead it.

  • Lara Akeju Executive Producer

    Until recently, Lara was Commissioning Editor for Entertainment and Daytime at ITV, where she launched Lingo, John and Lisa’s Weekend Kitchen, Ainsley’s National Trust Cook Off and Fresh Cuts. Previously at Channel 5, Lara was responsible for News and factual programmes and at Channel 4, she developed A Very British Brothel, Disabled Fight Club and My Trans Story and was Project Lead for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

  • Laura Davey

    With over 25 years of experience in the broadcast television industry, Laura is an accomplished senior leader and a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion in the creative sector. Currently Head of Production & Commercial at the award-winning BBC Studios Science Unit she leads teams in both London and Glasgow. Under her leadership, the Unit delivers high-impact, premium science and factual programming for global broadcasters including the BBC, Netflix, Nat Geo, Discovery, PBS, Channel 4, and Channel 5.

    Laura has played a pivotal role in the production of critically acclaimed documentaries such as Einstein and the Bomb, Secrets of the Neanderthals, Our Universe, The Anthrax Attacks, and The Surgeon’s Cut (Netflix), as well as landmark BBC series like Human, Solar System, Earth, and 8 Days: To the Moon and Back. Her expertise spans large-scale international co-productions, complex editorial delivery, and innovative storytelling, all underpinned by her commercial and production acumen.

    A collaborative and inclusive leader, Laura is committed to nurturing the next generation of talent in television. She brings deep insight into navigating the industry, especially for those from underrepresented backgrounds, and is passionate about supporting social mobility and long-term career sustainability for women in TV. As a mentor, she offers not only strategic guidance but also empathetic support, encouraging mentees to grow confidently into leadership roles.

  • Lucie Duxby, Head of Programmes, The Garden

    Since joining The Garden in 2016, Lucie has worked across more than 60 hours of television as Executive Producer, including the first BAFTA nominated series of 24 Hours in A&E,  Channel 4’s first nightly-stripped medical series, Emergency and BBC2’s Claridge’s access doc, The Mayfair Hotel Megabuild

    Prior to The Garden, she spent 10 years making arts and history series for Channel 4 and the BBC and directing documentary brands including Educating…, 24 Hours in A&E and 24 Hours in Police Custody.

    As Head of Programmes, she works with the Creative Director to support the production and delivery of the company’s entire slate; most recently the BBC2 feature-doc, Miners’ Strike: A Frontline Story and upcoming Netflix medical docu-series, Critical.

  • Marverine Cole

    Marverine is a multi-award-winning journalist and broadcaster from Birmingham. She can often be seen as newsreader on ITV1’s Good Morning Britain. She is also a regular media commentator on ITV1’s This Morning and is currently best known as a newsreader for ITV’s Good Morning Britain.

    Celebrating twenty years as a live news and current affairs broadcaster, Marverine’s media career actually spans more than three decades.

    Over the last twenty-one years in the industry, she has worked as Reporter, Producer, TV & Radio Presenter and News Anchor for many of the UK’s most watched and listened to broadcasters, including ITV1, Sky News, 5 News, BBC 5 Live, the BBC & ITV in the Midlands, Talk TV, Classic FM and BBC Radio 4.

  • Nadine Marsh Edwards

    Nadine Marsh-Edwards is an Emmy-nominated, BAFTA and RTS award-winning film and television producer, and the co-founder of Greenacre Films—a dynamic, female-led independent production company. Recently, in partnership with Story Compound, she helped launch The Residency, a bold new BFI supported incubator designed to support emerging writers in the action and thriller space.

    Nadine’s recent screen credits include Riches, the acclaimed six-part drama for ITV/Amazon Prime written by Abby Ajayi, Unsaid Stories for ITV, and The Ruins of Empire for the BBC. She also produced the Emmy-nominated, BAFTA and RTS award-winning series Joe All Alone for the BBC.

    Before founding Greenacre Films, Nadine worked as the Development Executive on the BAFTA-nominated An Englishman in New York (ITV) and was an Exec on The Grey Man (BBC). She was also an Executive Producer for several years at BBC Drama Scotland, overseeing a range of major series.

    She was a founding member of Sankofa Film and Video, a collective of pioneering Black filmmakers determined to tell their own stories on their own terms. Sankofa helped reshape British film and television, offering audiences bold new perspectives on Black and Asian experiences.

    Nadine remains a committed changemaker in the screen industries, advocating for inclusion, equity, and opportunity at every level. She has served as a board member at Film London and Eclipse Theatre and is currently a board member of The Film and TV Charity. Nadine is also a recent recipient of the Women in Film and TV Contribution to the Medium Award. 

  • Nicola Hill MD Orchard Studios

    As the MD of Orchard Studios, a modern, independent content studio set up in 2023 alongside Dan Grabiner (former head of Amazon Studios, UK and Northern Europe). Orchard is a home for inspiring creative partnerships, diverse thinking and a creator-producer of talked-about television. Having started out in scripted production, Nicola was converted to the world of factual programming and helped build The Garden Productions into an unscripted powerhouse during her decade-long tenure as Director of Production, MD and co-CEO.

  • Nicki Gottlieb, Founder, Wild Flower Group

    Nicki Gottlieb is a seasoned CEO and COO with 25 years in the television industry, recognised for seamlessly blending creative vision with operational excellence. Nicki began her career as a Production Manager, quickly rising to Head of Production, roles that grounded her in the realities of production, team leadership, and the essential art of collaboration. This solid foundation set the stage for her next leap: co-founding Brown Bob, her own production company.

    At Brown Bob, over nearly 11 years, Nicki built the company into a multi-location powerhouse, spanning Manchester, London, and Wales, complete with an in-house kit company and a slate of successful, returning series.

    Now, as the founder of Wildflower, Nicki leads a creative consultancy and co-production partner dedicated to empowering independent producers. Wildflower bridges the gap between traditional consultancy and hands-on creative partnership, helping producers transform their strongest ideas into standout productions.

  • Samantha Bickely, Duty of Care Executive BBC

    TV Consultant, Exec Producer and Welfare Executive, currently working in BBC Content Commissioning in a new role as a Duty of Care Executive.

    Sam has worked as a commissioning editor, creative director, and
    an executive producer, making popular factual and fact-ent, unscripted series. She has commissioned some drama and comedy too.  She is very experienced at ideas creation, development and winning commissions when she has been on the outside and inside a broadcaster. She joined the BBC in 2010. Appointed Head of BBC Three’s Docs and Features department. She was also Acting Controller of Three in 2014.

    Previously a commissioning editor at Channel 4 and an executive
    producer at many indies including Betty TV. She is passionate about creative opportunities for all, mentoring, the impact of unconscious bias on freelancers and the gap between mental health support and production.  As well as her role in BBC commissioning, she works with Creative Access on their mentorship programmes and is on the Film and TV Charity committee looking at freelance support/ mental health protocols. She is also a qualified psychotherapeutic counsellor MBACP.

  • Samantha Lawrence, CEO & Founder Media MD's

    Samantha is the co-founder of Media MDs, a strategic agency that partners with creative companies to help them grow, evolve, and succeed in a constantly shifting content landscape. Media MDs takes a hands-on, collaborative approach—immersing themselves in each business to understand its vision, navigate its challenges, and uncover opportunities for long-term growth and impact.

    A dynamic and visionary leader, Samantha brings a wealth of experience in driving business growth and shaping strategic direction across the television industry. She previously served as Managing Director at the Emmy Award-winning Box To Box Films, where she oversaw a phase of rapid expansion and secured significant investment.

    Before that, she spent seven years at NBCUniversal, including five as Managing Director of Monkey Kingdom. During her tenure, she successfully diversified the company’s offering, unlocking new commercial pathways and boosting profitability. Through 10 years as Managing Director of Silver River,  she led the company from its launch through to its acquisition by Sony.

    Proudly working-class, originally from Birmingham and someone who didn’t go to University – Samantha is driven to make sure representation is what drives the next generation of leaders.

  • Sara Putt, BAFTA Chair & Sara Putt Associates Founder & MD

    Sara is the Chair of BAFTA and Chair of the BAFTA TV Committee and she also sits on the boards of The British Film Commission, The Film and TV Charity, Woman in Film and TV and the Coalition for Change.

    Sara is also the Founder and MD of Sara Putt Associates, an Agency for behind the camera talent based at Shepperton Studios. 

    Sara began her career in BBC radio, before working as a freelancer TV production manager. Establishing her own agency in 1990, she identified and filled a gap in the market, offering career management to a new and rapidly expanding freelance population of behind the camera talent working in TV and film.

    The company is over 30 years old now, and represents some of the finest freelancers in the UK working in all areas of film and TV.

  • Sarah Asante Commissioning Editor, UKTV

    As the Scripted Commissioning Editor at multi-channel broadcaster UKTV. Sarah is responsible for developing, commissioning and executive producing scripted Drama and Comedy for Dave and Gold.

    Sarah joined from the BBC and she has almost two decades of experience working in commissioning.

    Before joining the BBC, Sarah spent over 10 years working in commissioning teams across Factual and Entertainment at Fox International Channels, Scripps Networks, ITV and Channel 4.

  • Scarlette Ewens, CEO Matisse

    Scarlett Ewens is CEO of Matisse Media, the UK-based indie advisory business she co-launched in April 2019 with Nick Curwin. Matisse works with independent production companies across the full business cycle—launch, growth, improved profitability, investment and sale—providing detailed strategic, commercial and creative support.

    In 2010, Scarlett joined Curwin and Magnus Temple to launch The Garden Productions, initially combining Managing Director responsibilities with Head of Production. She led core business functions spanning production, finance, operations and personnel, and helped drive commercial strategy, including maximising revenue through production and IP exploitation. As Head of Production, she oversaw large-scale returning factual brands including 24 Hours in A&E, Keeping Britain Alive and 24 Hours in Police Custody. Scarlett played a key role in The Garden’s sale to ITV in 2013 and remained through a successful earn-out, later stepping down as Managing Director and COO in 2018. 

    At Matisse, Scarlett works closely with founders and senior leadership teams to strengthen business planning and financial discipline, refine operational systems, improve negotiations and buyer positioning, and build sustainable slates. The firm also supports development capability and business-winning through specialist input from its wider team. 

  • Sophie Ardern, Director of Production, Mindhouse

    Sophie is the Director of Production at independent production company Mindhouse who make documentaries and podcasts for a wide range of broadcasters.

    Sophie joined Mindhouse when it was launched in 2019 by Louis Theroux, Nancy Strang and Arron Fellows and is now a co-owner and director of the company. Starting her career at BBC Manchester, she has worked in the industry for over 25 years and has overseen a wide slate of high-profile documentaries and factual series for BBC, Channel 4, Sky, Netflix, Prime Video, and others. Working across all the company’s television and podcast output as well as managing its day-to-day operations, Sophie plays a central role in delivering Mindhouse’s ambitious programming.

  • Sophie Leonard Creative Director, Samphire Films

    Sophie Leonard is the co-founder and Creative Director of Samphire Films, a UK-based production company making bold, premium factual formats and documentaries that combine scale, originality and emotional impact. Founded with a commitment to contemporary, inclusive storytelling, Samphire champions distinctive voices and culturally resonant stories that reflect the world we live in today.

    The company has produced its first documentary series, set to transmit in early 2026, and is currently in production on two global premium limited series and a feature documentary, alongside runway funding on two international factual formats.

    Prior to founding Samphire with David Hodgkinson in 2024, Sophie was Creative Director at the multi award-winning Minnow Films, where she executive produced over 200 hours of primetime, premium factual television growing the slate across UK terrestrial broadcasters, global streaming platforms and US networks.

    Sophie’s credits include Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test (FOX), SAS: Who Dares Wins and Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins (Channel 4), Stacey Dooley’s DNA Family Secrets (BBC), Katie Price: Harvey & Me (BBC), Mother Teresa: For the Love of God (Sky Documentaries), Little Richard: King and Queen of Rock ’n’ Roll (BBC), Picasso: The Beauty and the Beast (BBC) Ashley Madison: Sex Lies and Scandal and Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action, both of which reached #1 globally on Netflix.

  • Sreya Biswas, Director of Programmes, BBC Studios Natural History Unit

    Sreya oversees a slate of outstanding commissioned titles including Blue Planet III, Big Cats 24/7 and ambitious doc series Matriarch. Sreya also leads on development and digital for the NHU, where she is developing an ambitious portfolio of new innovative programmes and content, for global clients across a variety of platforms.  

    Prior to the Natural History Unit Sreya was the BBC’s Head of Commissioning for Natural History , overseeing a number of major landmark series including Asia, Kingdom, Planet Earth III and Blue Planet III, as well as a broad range of Natural History content including Big Cats 24/7, Hamza’s Hidden Wild Isles and An Hour on Earth. And feature docs including multi award-winning Silverback and Orphan and environmental thriller On Thin Ice: Putin v Greenpeace. 

    Before commissioning, Sreya was an Executive Producer at Naked Television. Living and working in the US, Sreya oversaw and self-shot the Emmy Award Winning series The Day I Picked My Parents for A&E.