At the heart of the Foundation’s mission is a desire to support new entrants into the film and TV industry and to provide opportunities for those who might not otherwise have a chance.
Kit Start
Kit Start is an exciting initiative from Mark Milsome Foundation and Our House Pictures that offers an opportunity for a specially curated and paid work experience programme at a camera rental house. With placements currently scheduled in London and Scotland, we hope to expand it in the future to include other regions. This scheme is open to those aged 18 and over and has been developed for those who might otherwise struggle to find, or access, opportunities in the industry.
Foot in the Door
The Foundation’s original mentorship programme ran from 2019-2026 and provided two or three Film and Television school graduates each year with ongoing mentorship and support. The scheme was designed to bridge the gap between education and employment and in keeping with the Foundation’s mission, aimed to help those who might have struggled to enter an industry traditionally difficult to access.
Foot in the Door Alumni
The Foundation is enormously proud of what it has achieved with its Foot in the Door scheme. Please email contact@markmilsomefoundation.com if you would like more information on any of our alumni.
2024 – 2026 trainees
Codie Rees
Henry Piekarczyk
2023 – 2024 trainees
Stephanie Chao
Lily Coney
Louie Walters
2022 – 2023 trainees
Alfie Thompson
Angie Ymeraj
Robert Oliver
2021 – 2022 trainees
Denson Jayson
Scott Nolan
2020 – 2021 trainees
Victoria Hill
Ellie Wentworth-Weedon
2019 – 2020 trainees
Daisy Allen
Davey Macdonald
Tom Ellacott
Mentors
Mentorship is at the core of the Foundation’s success. We are deeply grateful to all the mentors who have helped our trainees. We truly appreciate your dedication. Past mentors include:
Paul Forest, 1st AC (Codie & Henry)
Laurence Good, 2nd AC (Codie & Henry)
Agnieszka ‘Aga’ Szeliga, Camera Operator (Steph, Lily & Louie)
Peter Robertson, Camera Operator (Angie)
James Layton, Steadicam/Camera Operator (Rob)
We are currently seeking new mentors for our trainees. If you’re interested, please email contact@markmilsomefoundation.com.
Empowering and Protecting
The Foundation maintains strong partnerships with industry stakeholders including Screenskills, Film London, Creative Media Skills Institute and 60Forty Films. We deliver health and safety talks to students participating in their schemes, offering them the option to take our health and safety course free of charge, helping to educate and protect new entrants to the film and TV industry.
Industry Support
The success of our training and mentorship programmes rely on the support of the film and TV industry to provide work experience, career opportunities, training and mentorship for our trainees. We would like to thank the following companies and individuals for their contribution and involvement:
ACO
Alpha Grip
BAFTA
BSC
CineArk
Cinelab
First Aid Matters
Garden Studios
Guild of British Camera Technicians
Mission Digital
Panavision
Ingrid Civet
Joe Mackenzie
Raj Patel
Productions
Our Foot in the Door trainees have worked on a wide range of film and TV productions including:
Batman (Warner Bros)
Citadel (Amazon)
The Diplomat (Netflix)
Downton Abbey (Focus Features)
Dracula (Hartswood Films/BBC)
Dreamhorse (Film4/Film Cymru Wales)
Fantastic Beasts: the Secrets of Dumbledore (Warner Bros)
Gangs of London (Sky)
The Gentlemen (Netflix)
His Dark Materials (BBC)
House of the Dragon (HBO)
Jamie Johnson (CBBC)
Masters of the Air (Apple TV)
Masters of the Universe (Amazon)
Out There (ITV)
The Sandman (Netflix)
Sex Education (BBC)
Silent Witness (BBC)
Supercell (Netflix)
The Winter King (Bad Wolf/Sony)
The Witcher (Netflix)
The Woman in Cabin 10 (Netflix)
Werwulf (Focus Features)
Wuthering Heights (Warner Bros)
Additional Activities
Inspired by Mark’s legacy, we’ve been involved in a number of training and mentorship initiatives since the Foundation’s launch, each reflecting our commitment to safety and opportunity.
MMF and GBCT Health and Safety Training
The Mark Milsome Foundation, in association with Media Safety, delivered a free, certified, face-to-face Health and Safety course to all GBCT Finalists who were chosen for the GBCT one-week training course (approximately 18 participants). The GBCT camera trainee course is not currently active.
Foot on the Ladder
In its first two years, the Foundation helped young people outside of the Foot in the Door programme through what it called Foot on the Ladder. These included: Cian Strain: The Foundation honoured Mark’s wish to support Cian by connecting him with producer Helen Hayden, who confirmed his talent through strong references. Jake Bentley: The Foundation helped Jake secure work and housing support with Mission Digital and later awarded him the first ‘Mark’s Gift.’
Mark’s Gift