Mark Milsome Foundation expands its board of trustees

MMF has made an incredible impact since its formation 6 years ago, following the death of respected British camera operator Mark Milsome.

As part of MMF’s continued evolution in the fields of  on-set safety and wellbeing improvement, as well as inspiring and nurturing the next generation of filmmaking talent, it has added three new trustees:  James Layton, ACO, Assoc. BSC, Camera Operator/Steadicam Operator (Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Silo, The Great), Junior Agyeman-Owusu, ACO, Steadicam Operator (Champion, Meg 2, Inside Man) and Abbi Collins, Stunt Coordinator (Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Downton Abbey, Suspect), to its current board of eight.   MMF has also created a new Advisory Council, comprising eight specialists and experts from across the creative media landscape.

Incoming Trustees, James Layton, Junior Agyeman-Owusu and Abbi Collins are three respected film and TV professionals, who provide lived-experience of the safety issues that MMF is committed to improving.   James was a close friend and film industry colleague of Mark Milsome and two years ago, became a mentor for MMF in its Foot in the Door training initiative.  He is keen to further Mark’s legacy and has a strong interest in improving wellbeing and work-life balance for those working in film and TV.   In the past year, Junior has supported MMF at a host of industry events and he subsequently met with MMF Chair, Samantha Wainstein and Mark’s widow Andra Milsome, to discuss initiatives to encourage people from more diverse backgrounds to consider a career in film and TV.   Junior is involved with the ACO training and hosts his own podcast.  Abbi is a stunt co-ordinator and horse master with more than 37 years of industry experience.  She is a founding member of The British Stunt Register and has collaborated with MMF on health and safety panels.  Abbi is particularly interested in addressing the issue of film and TV’s culture of excessively long working hours.

The newly formed MMF Advisory Council will provide Trustees with specialist expertise, knowledge and skills and will comprise the following leaders in their respective fields:

Mary Lawrence, a Partner at Osborne Clarke, heading their specialist Health & Safety team, Mary has a particular interest in the media and entertainment businesses. She handles high profile HSE investigations including fatal accidents and serious injuries.

Jake Edmonds, MD of Media Safety Ltd, along with his team was instrumental in the creation of MMF’s Production Safety Passport course. MSL has been delivering bespoke Health and Safety solutions to the film and TV sector since 2003, credits range from major blockbusters such as Harry Potter and Gravity to Downton Abbey and the Harry & Paul show.

Jen Smith, CEO of CISSA, a new independent standards authority, designed to help those in the creative industries who are victims of bullying and harassment.  Jen was previously Head of Diversity and Inclusion at the BFI.

Mark Purvis, MD of Mission Digital initiated the annual fundraising calendar, Prints for Mark. He has continued to collaborate with Andra Milsome for the last 4 years on the project. Mark regularly facilitates MMF’s presence at events like Camerimage and the BSC awards.

Alexandra Stone is a producer whose recent credits include In the Country of Last Things and The Drowning. She has been on the advisory committees of the British Independent Film Awards and the London Film School’s Screenwriting programme.

John Wightman is currently Head of Market Analysis, Policy & Strategy for Consumer Finance at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), John worked for many years in the charity sector as Head of Fundraising, Development and Marketing for Crimestoppers. He has also been Ombudsman Leader & Head of Practice for Consumer Credit at the Financial Ombudsman Service.

Sarah Prince is Co-Founder of PrinceStone and was Mark Milsome’s agent. She has been an active supporter and consultant for the MMF since its inception. She works with the Foot in the Door initiative advising the trainees on areas including health and safety as related to crew contracts and agreements. Sarah is an advocate for a better work/life balance in the industry – strongly believing that tiredness is a major factor in H&S issues and she is keen to work with industry partners to reduce the working hours.

Fabian Wagner is an acclaimed cinematographer with credits across film and HETV including House of the Dragon, The Crown, and Game of Thrones.   He is the founder of First Steps Cinematography, an initiative that strives to improve diversity and equality in the film industry.

The current MMF Board consists of Chair, Samantha Wainstein, Mark’s widow Andra Milsome, and Trustees, Philip Sindall, Dermot Hickey, Catrin Lewis- Defis, Sunny Bains, Julia Jones and Daisy Allen.  The Foundation’s patrons are Kirk Jones and Rory Kinnear.

Commenting on this expansion, MMF Chair, Samantha Wainstein said: “I am excited to welcome Abbi, Junior, and James to our Board of Trustees. Their backgrounds in film and TV, along with their personal commitment to improving the safety, well-being, and opportunities for crew members, will help us continue to deliver and develop our mission.  Equally, our new advisory council provides us with valuable skills and expertise, ranging from deep knowledge of the law (Mary Lawrence) to an understanding of broader issues like bullying and harassment (Jen Smith), to the creation of health and safety training (Jake Edmonds), to inspiring new talent (Fabian Wagner). Meanwhile, a host of other actions will be advanced with the ongoing support of Sarah, Alex, John and Mark.  We look forward to continuing to inspire, protect, and empower those working and aspiring to work in the film industry, in honour of Mark.”