Independent film-maker speaks at festive Media Hub

The Media Hub's Christmas party was a night to remember last Thursday.

The lively networking event, set up by myself and my journalist colleague Sarah Parfitt to bring media types together, was held at Sanctum on the Green in Cookham.

Guests were treated to a complimentary drink and live, festive music on arrival, followed by a presentation by award-winning independent filmmaker and radio drama producer/director Andrew Mark Sewell.

Andrew gave an enlightening and amusing talk about his career in radio drama and film producing, and he shared some tips about how best to get into the industry.

Andrew says: “The Media Hub is a superb local network for sharing knowledge and experience in the industry. Whilst toasting the festive season, it was a pleasure to be able to share some ‘choice' stories from my career!”

His numerous credits include the long-running Blake’s 7 audio series for BBC Radio 4 Extra, along with the recent BBC Radio 4 dramatisations of Ray Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles; and Sumia Sukkar’s The Boy From Aleppo Who Painted The War. Currently Sewell is directing the audio series Dan Dare, based on the popular Eagle comic strips of the 1950s. His film producer credits include Dan Ireland’s award-winning Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont. And his latest thriller, Exit Thread, has gone on to win multiple awards at international film festivals.

During the evening, Phoebe and Isabella Mansell performed for the guests. They are in their second year at university, yet their passion lies in music, dance and drama. Although they have been singing classically since the age of seven, they taught themselves to play the ukulele after receiving the instrument as a 13th birthday present. Since then, they have been performing anything from classics and folk to musical theatre and even their own compositions. They said: "We particularly enjoy arranging songs and creating new harmonies to suit our own unique style, so we loved sharing some festive tunes and crowd-pleasers to help everyone get into the seasonal spirit!

There was also a Christmas raffle with some fantastic prizes, with the proceeds going to Gende Tesfa School.

We are very grateful to Perry and the team at the Sanctum on the Green for hosting the Media Hub this month. We celebrated a fantastic year of networking through the Hub. We've enjoyed some brilliant guest speakers and workshops.

Sarah Parfitt, a freelance radio producer, media trainer and consultant says: "The Media Hub is so much fun and a useful networking tool for those in the industry. It is a dynamic forum for swapping ideas with like-minded people. Any media professional is welcome to come along."