Creative Enterprise welcomes the 2025 Screen Launchpad cohort

We are delighted to present the 2025 cohort of Screen Launchpad, Creative Enterprise’s distinguished new programme designed to elevate emerging leaders from underrepresented backgrounds within the screen industries. Over the next three months, this group will benefit from tailored business development support, mentorship from industry veterans, and strategic resources across film & TV, games, animation, immersive media, and creative technology. With a focus on inspiring innovation and driving greater inclusion, the 2025 cohort are poised to shape the future of storytelling and unlock powerful new voices across the screen sector.

Now let’s meet the cohort!

Amit Kaur – Sarmaya Studios

Amit Kaur is a Creative Producer & Director working across film, games, and immersive storytelling. With over a decade of global experience in scripted content and post-production, her credits include two BFI-funded short films and the upcoming feature CROWN, selected for Cinekid Script Lab. Having produced international campaigns and collaborated with award-winning directors across global studios, Amit brings a cross-cultural lens to scalable, socially conscious IP that bridges film and games. Her studio creates bold, empathetic stories that cross borders, amplify underrepresented voices, and reimagine how global majority narratives reach audiences. Amit’s internationally informed, technically grounded approach proves that conscious storytelling can be as binge-worthy as it is boundary-breaking.

 

Collette Creary-Myers – Dreamer’s Thread

I have been working in the Film & TV industry 14 years. Developing from an Art Dept Assistant to Art Director and aspiring Production Designer. My desire is to design across medias expanding beyond narrative into gaming, immersive events, fashion and social spaces.

 

Emmett Green – Em Green Animates

Emmett Green is an Animator, Motion Designer and Lecturer based in Nottinghamshire. With 5 years’ experience in creative agencies and independent animation studios, Emmett has created animations for various contexts, from social media advertising to internal communications, healthcare, and education, and for charities like Dogs Trust and National Energy Action. His passion is creating characterful animated stories that connect with people emotionally and raise awareness of the experiences of marginalised and disadvantaged communities. In February 2025, he made the jump away from full-time employment to lecturing at Loughborough University while developing his freelance business, Em Green Animates.

Evelyn Bonella – The Lady Indie Co 

Evelyn Bonella is an actor, writer, and founder of The Lady Indie Company, developing bold screen stories that challenge convention and centre authentic voices. Her work spans theatre, film, and digital media, supported by Arts Council England, BBC Radio, Take Art, and Bristol Old Vic. Known for her originality and depth, Evelyn brings a distinct voice to the screen, shaped by lived experience and a drive to create meaningful change. She is passionate about disrupting industry norms with character-led, emotionally resonant storytelling, offering an alternative to remakes and formula. Evelyn is part of the movement reshaping the future of film.

Fatima Shafiq

Fatima Shafiq is a strategic creative with nearly 20 years’ experience shaping hit factual formats across broadcast, streaming and digital platforms. A former journalist turned Creative Director, she has developed award-winning projects for Channel 4, MTV, Paramount+ and more, earning recognition as a Broadcast Hot Shot and RealScreen Factual Under 40 honouree. Known for turning bold ideas into standout commissions, Fatima combines vision with execution—building teams, partnerships and strategies that bring compelling stories to life.

Gabriel Mansour – CAIGGHOUSE Entertainment

Gabriel Mansour is a London-based producer and actor with a multicultural background (Romanian, Jordanian, British) and a bold storytelling sensibility. A graduate of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and the National Film and Television School, he founded CAIGGHOUSE Entertainment to champion daring, genre-defying cinema. Gabriel’s slate spans shorts, features, and television, reflecting his commitment to distinctive voices, sharp creative collaboration, and building ambitious independent projects with global resonance.

Jordan John

Jordan is a creative writer across Stage and Screen. He was recently named Top 5 Finalist with Shore Scripts and is a Stockroom, BFI and BSFA longlisted writer and two time Arts Councils Awardee for his writing. He was chosen for Guy Ritchie’s mentoring scheme and was also a contributing writer on “Common” published by Rikki Beadle Blair MBE. Alongside his creative writing, he has a strong passion for supporting emerging talent, with a strong emphasis on inclusivity and access for working-class creatives.

Karl James – Picturefly

I have worked in TV Production in unscripted TV on various Factual Entertainment getting to the level as a Producer , it has always been the main goal to set up my own Production Company and lead it creatively.

LUCINDA BORRELL is a freelance producer and reporter specialising in long form current affairs whose work has been nominated at The Freelance Journalism Awards, British Journalism Awards, RTS Awards, BAFTA and Grierson Awards. She has worked for program strands such as Dispatches, Exposure, Panorama and Newsnight as well as Radio 4, File on 4 and institutions such as The Bureau of Investigative Journalism. Her company Purple Storm Media will be a production company creating current affairs content across print, audio and TV – as well as providing current affairs support and training to other independent companies working outside of London. As a female founder, living with a disability, her aim is also to implement training initiatives that provide opportunity and work for TV talent from backgrounds that are traditionally under represented in today’s current affairs landscape. This includes those living with disabilities, those from racially diverse backgrounds, women and those from working class backgrounds.

Mark Popple – Immersive Pixel

With over 23 years in the film and TV industry, I started as a runner at a TV/Film post-production company and advanced to senior editor, creating trailers, commercials, and special features for major Hollywood studios. As a camera operator on various projects, I developed my creative and technical skills, working with top talent and capturing images from handheld to large-format cameras. Driven by creative ambition and a practical understanding of production, I’m now pursuing storytelling through groundbreaking immersive technologies.

Matilda Feyiṣayọ Ibini – Bionic Ruffians

Matilda Feyiṣayọ Ibini is an award-winning bionic writer and filmmaker of Nigerian heritage from London. Matilda was selected as a Star of Tomorrow by Screen Daily, a screenplay they co-wrote was named as part of The Brit List 2020 and they were a BFI Flare x BAFTA 2023 mentee.
Theatre credits include: ‘Muscovado’ (2014), ‘Little Miss Burden’ (2019) and Olivier Award winning ‘Sleepova’ (2023). Screen credits include: BAFTA TV-Nominated ‘CripTales’. ‘Head Over Wheels’ a short produced by Open Sky Theatre & Wrapt Films. ‘MO <3 KYRA’ a short produced by Film4 and 104. They have written on TV series ‘Wilderness’ (2023) and ‘The Dumping Ground’ (2025).

Max Carrey

As a freelancer, I’ve worked on podcasts, audiobooks, short films and many other creative projects. My background is in audio engineering but in the past year, I’ve shifted my focus towards growing as a producer and taking on more creative leaning roles. I’m hoping to learn more about starting a creative business as I want to start my own production company to make films.

Nandita Jain

Nandita is a director known for her bold, vivacious storytelling that blends heart, humour, and a fearless voice that refuses to be boxed in. Most recently, she directed Nikhil & Jay(BBC), a vibrant animated sitcom celebrating dual-heritage family life. As Series Director at Moonbug, she led global hits like Lellobee City Farm and Little Baby Bum.The first from her family to venture into the TV and Film industry, Nandita has built her career from the ground up. She is currently focussing on developing series and features that reflect her own experiences as a working class migrant, South Asian woman and working mum in the UK.From concept to post-production, Nandita leads every stage of the creative process with purpose and curiosity. She champions inclusive storytelling – crafting work that challenges convention and reflects the compelling nuances of modern life, so more people can feel seen, heard, and celebrated.

Phoebe Yemi Ara – EMPIRE COSMIC

PHOEBE YEMI ARA is a WFTV Kay Mellor Emerging Writer (2024) London Library Emerging Writer (2021/22) Babes in Development x Bloomsbury Emerging Writer (2024) Pan Macmillan Writer on The Rise (2024) and HarperCollins Author Alumna (2021) of screenplays and fiction; her work has been longlisted for the Hodderscape Mo Siewcharran prize for fantasy, the Penguin WriteNow prize, and selected for the Future Worlds Prize. Her fiction is represented by WME. In terms of filmmaking, she was selected for the LEAP x Channel 4 Writer/Producer development lab for films and tv. She has been selected as a BFI x ICO Emerging Producer (2021, 2023) a Watersprite Hubs Producer (2024) one of Channel 4 Rise2 Development Stream talents, designed to identify the next generation of filmmaking talent (2024) and one of Edinburgh TV Festival’s The Network (2021) designed to identify bright new talent in film/tv. Her films have been screened at BAFTA and BIFA qualifying festivals.

Preethi Manuel – ZAHMA PRODUCTIONS

Over a year ago I left my full-time job in children’s services to pursue a career in writing and filmmaking. I’m so glad I made that decision because I love this work! I completed my MA in Filmmaking from Northern Film School and my first full-length screenplay ‘Waiting For No One’ was selected for the inaugural Kay Mellor Screenplay Lab in 2023. I worked previously as a teacher and a carer and was a vocal campaigner on disability issues. Apart from work, I’m a keen traveller and badminton player.

Ray Miller-Davis – Narrio

Ray Miller-Davis is a London based cinematographer and Warner Bros. Creative Talent Scholar. A graduate of Ravensbourne University’s Digital Film Production, he has built experience across major films, television, commercials, branded content and independent projects, with several works recognised at leading festivals. With a background in camera and lighting departments, Ray combines strong technical expertise with a passion for visual storytelling. He is now channeling this into creating innovative short form narrative projects and supporting new voices in film and digital media.

Shereen Fares – Picilian Entertainment

Shereen Fares is a Founder, CEO, and Creative Director of Picilian Entertainment Ltd, a self-taught UK-based game development studio. With an unconventional background, she has transformed personal challenges into a powerful drive for entrepreneurship and creative expression. At Picilian, Shereen leads strategic planning, creative direction, and business development, ensuring the studio’s bold vision is brought to life. Passionate about storytelling, innovation, and inclusion, she is committed to building immersive gaming experiences that resonate deeply with players.

Steve Rafter – BOMO Audio Studios

I am a passionate and creative audio professional with extensive experience across film, TV, theatre, live events, advertising, and immersive media. As a dubbing mixer and sound editor, I bring technical precision and creative flair to deliver engaging, high-quality audio for screen-based media. My work spans broadcast, cinema, and streaming platforms, with a track record of collaborating on award-winning projects for global brands, agencies, and independent filmmakers. I combine hands-on post-production expertise with a deep understanding of storytelling through sound. My career has been a blend of roles in education and the media industry. In 2013, after completing six years as a Senior Sound Designer at one of the leading audio post-production studios in Dubai, UAE I returned to my hometown of Bournemouth with my young family and set up a studio, BOMO Audio. At around the same time, I also took on a role at Bournemouth University, running the MA course in Sound Design for Screen. This role ended in July 2025 and I am now looking to build my studio business on a full time basis.

Tajpal Rathore

Tajpal Rathore is an actor, writer, producer, director, dramaturg and presenter whose creative work is shaped by a fearless decolonised vision, spanning over two decades across TV, film, radio, and theatre. In 2013, he co-founded Tribe Arts, an actor-led theatre and arts production company focused on amplifying contemporary British black and Asian stories. As the Artistic Director, he drives bold, multidisciplinary storytelling rooted in cultural identity and social change. He also serves as Editor-in-Chief for Off/Stage, the UK’s only dedicated digital platform centring British black, Asian and Global Majority artists.

Tom Hobden – Tom Hobden Studio

Tom is a gold-star creative with 24+ years working with the UK’s leading arts organisations, recognised as a go-to leader in community-led creativity. His career spans roles as choreographer, community dance artist, creative director, filmmaker, digital artist, educator, and mentor, reflecting both versatility and dedication to the arts. Working across cultural and commercial sectors, Tom’s work champions creativity as a force for connection and change. In 2014, he co-founded We Are Unit C.I.C.