“I've always loved being by the sea, and I wanted to go to a university near the beach. A good friend of mine, and later business partner, Dave Kane was at AUB and really enjoying his time there. I looked around the campus on an open day and immediately felt at home, the facilities were amazing, and the atmosphere was buzzing.
The main course I wanted to find out more about was Digital Media Production. They opened the induction with a dramatic video and amazing display of projections mixed with loud sound, I was sold immediately.
“The three years I spent at AUB were both life changing and invaluable. I made great friends, who I still see regularly, built an active interest in the industry and an all-important foundation in film and animation. The high standards held by the students and tutors meant I developed a quality control system in my head, which still helps on a day-to-day basis. The most important lesson I learnt was to make everything you produce the best it can be, regardless of the cost. This has been the foundation for my business.
“On leaving university, I set up a creative agency called RMP Filmmakers, producing a breadth of work for a variety of both private and public-sector clients. Everything from filming superyachts and the historic Grand Prix in the south of France, to promotional films and animations for large public-sector clients like London Underground, and the latest project takes us to New York City for the annual Data Management Summit.
“Our job is to go into a business and get to know everyone, from the Managing Directors to the Interns, and produce a film that captures the essence and drive of the business in a creative and dynamic way.
“The best part of my job is the variety of people I get to work with and the different businesses I spend time with. I feel I've landed on my feet by being in such a creative role, I find I need to be doing different things to keep myself motivated and luckily my job is ever changing.
“I left AUB in the middle of a recession, the economy was on its knees, and so I quickly decided that I was going to become a hunter gatherer. I began working with two old school friends Ed Balcombe and Dave Kane, who were still both students at the time and we started working on small video projects. Most of the projects were unpaid but we quickly developed a portfolio of work and the free jobs started to turn into paid work. We named our company RMP Filmmakers and five years on I'm pleased to say we are still going strong; we are an RAR Recommended agency, have won awards for our work, and have big ambitions for the business moving forward.
“Alongside work the company has done, I have personally worked on various projects and the one I gained the most experience from was a Bournemouth based feature film called ‘K-Shop’, produced by White Lantern Film and written and directed by Dan Pringle. It was a big project, shot over six weeks in the centre of Bournemouth with a crew of more than fifty people. The project was ambitious, the team were fantastic, and the finished film was incredibly well received by critics and has had several showings both in the cinema and on TV, recently being shown on Sky Cinema. My role as Production Manager was tough and although we struggled with the long nights filming, we produced a film that was not only great, but also stands against films with a six-figure budget. I learnt a lot, including how to manage a project, and the importance of quick decision-making to get things done.
“I want to continue to build RMP Filmmakers; the industry is rapidly evolving, but change is a good thing and I'm looking forward to the different ways film could be viewed. Virtual and augmented reality are both incredibly exciting, it's early days right now, like when the first mobile phones were released, no doubt it’s impressive but we haven't seen anything yet. The current units are big and clunky but I have no doubt that VR/AR will develop in the same way as phones did, someone will create the iPhone equivalent and everyone will use it daily. I’m looking forward to discovering the best ways to utilise this interactive content with our clients.
“My one piece of advice would be to get stuck in to everything you can, if you see something you want to do, go for it. Don't hold back to find out what excites you, and tailor your course to suit your passions. Build relationships with businesses you want to be involved with, and most of all, make everything you produce the best it can be.”
